Big Fish Games (http://www.bigfishgames.com) has announced Play Instantly!, a cloud gaming service for consumers that features dozens of premium casual games accessed via interactive video streaming. It’s available for free in the Apple App Store.

With Play Instantly!, Big Fish’s casual game catalog is run in the cloud and can be accessed initially on the iPad, and then rolling out on a variety of additional devices and platforms — including the Mac — in 2012. This is both the first cloud gaming service for mobile devices and the first game subscription service available in Apple’s App Store, says Big Fish Games CEO Jeremy Lewis.

Play Instantly! is initially available for U.S. customers. It will expand globally to reach a worldwide audience as Big Fish expands the reach of its private cloud network, says Lewis.

With Big Fish’s Play Instantly!, anyone with a Wi-Fi internet connection can launch and begin playing any game in the catalog within seconds. The service is free for a limited time each day, or available as an unlimited, full-screen experience with access to all of the games in the service via a monthly subscription.