Those looking for futuristic sports kicks on Apple Arcade have a couple of good options following today’s latest release.

Ultimate Rivals: The Rink, joins HyperBrawl Tournament on Apple’s subscription gaming service for players after a hyper-realistic, Tron inspired neon battler.

And in an interesting turn, the 103rd game to hit Apple Arcade is actually the start of an exclusive franchise.

From Bit Fry Games Studios, Ultimate Rivals: The Rink will be joined by the second in the series – Ultimate Rivals: The Court – in the first half of 2020 (Spring in the north, Autumn in the south).

The franchise licenses real-world players such as Wayne Gretzky and LeBron James, and allows players to combine them in varying permutations to “unlock unique ways to play and win against the AI or other gamers in online multiplayer matches,” Apple’s press release describes.

As you’ve already gathered, and in an intriguing twist, the athletes are from varying sports, but can be combined within the one team to play together. More athletes will come in future updates.

The Rink is of course a futuristic take on Ice Hockey, with some insanely over the top Ultimate moves with names such as The Cup and Wild Pitch. You’ll see some of this craziness in the trailer.

Apple TV gamers are well-catered for with controller support, as seems to be the case with the vast majority of Apple Arcade games.

It’s great seeing these complete surprises come out of nowhere on Apple Arcade. It’s certainly unusual having no hype created beforehand, no trailers or release dates for trailers etc. Just bang, here’s a new game to enjoy. I have to say, it’s nothing if not refreshing.

Check out the trailer.

If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games of 2019 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.