Apple Planning to Launch Dedicated Gaming App This Year
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Apple has plans for a standalone app for games, reports Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The new app will be pre-installed in iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16, and tvOS 19.
The app will act as a launcher for gaming titles and offer centralized access to in-game achievements, leaderboards, communications, and other activities, said Bloomberg’s sources, who asked not to be named as the plans haven’t been officially announced.
The app will replace Apple’s Game Center and will be unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which begins on June 9. Apple’s Game Center was introduced in 2010 to provide a way for Apple gamers to invite friends to play mobile games while also being able to track their in-game achievements. However, Game Center didn’t become as popular as Apple hoped; the company killed it as a standalone app in iOS 10, moving it to a background service. While the standalone app never returned, Apple created a more sophisticated in-app Game Center dashboard in iOS 14.
The new app will reportedly integrate with and promote Apple Arcade, Apple’s $6.99-a-month games subscription service and third-party games. Gurman says it will effectively replace Game Center’s social network and make it easier for customers to discover, download, and install games on their Apple devices. The Mac version of the app will also “tap into” Mac games installed from sources other than the Mac App Store.
The app is intended to push a gaming experience on Apple devices to rival more popular gaming platforms such as PCs, consoles, handheld devices, mobile devices, and the cloud. Nintendo is expected to roll out its upgraded Switch 2 device just days before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, where Apple’s new app will be unveiled. The Switch 2, just like its predecessor, the Switch, will allow gamers to play their favorite games on their television, as well on the device’s built-in screen as a portable device.
Apple recently acquired RAC7 Games, the two-person development studio behind the popular Sneaky Sasquatch Apple Arcade title. The acquisition is seen as part of the Cupertino firm’s gaming push. RAC7 will become an internal game studio within Apple, and Sneaky Sasquatch will continue to be available on Apple Arcade. Sneaky Sasquatch was one of the first games to launch Apple’s gaming subscription service, and it has proven to be one of its most popular titles.
While Apple already works with developers and gaming publishers to create new titles for Apple Arcade, this is the first gaming studio acquisition for the iPhone maker.
The iPhone has become one of the most popular mobile gaming devices, and the category has long been a centerpiece of the App Store. In recent years, high-end AAA games, such as Assassin’s Creed: Mirage and Resident Evil: Village, have come to the iPhone App Store. Approximately two-thirds of App Store revenue comes from games and related in-app purchases such as tokens, levels, and other in-game upgrades.
The Mac platform has also become popular with gamers in recent years, as Apple’s speedier in-house-developed chips have brought better performance and improved graphics. Apple has also released development tools that allow developers to port PC and console games over to the Mac easily.
Apple’s new gaming app will roll out to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs in September, alongside Apple’s new operating systems when they are released to the public.
