An interview with Apple's new VP of the App Store, Carson Oliver, on Apple's gaming vision, Apple Arcade, providing tools for indie game developers, and more (Giovanni Colantonio/Polygon)
Back when Apple Arcade launched in 2019, there was a resounding belief among gamers that the mobile gaming service wasn't long for this world.
In an interview with Polygon, Carson Oliver, Apple's newly appointed VP of the App Store, discussed Apple's vision for gaming, specifically focusing on the company's initiatives like Apple Arcade, the launch of Indie Games Week, and the company's efforts to attract indie game developers. Despite initial skepticism about the longevity of mobile gaming services, Oliver noted that Apple Arcade has remained strong seven years after its launch.
He explained that Apple's strategy has evolved over time to cater to players' habits and offer them more choices.
Oliver highlighted that gaming has always been a central part of the App Store, and Apple's approach has adapted to meet players' needs and provide them with more options. He expressed that Apple's recent aggressive pursuit of gaming can be attributed to advancements in technology, such as hardware-accelerated ray tracing, the A20 Pro chip, and the next-generation vapor chamber in the iPhone 18 Pro.
Additionally, Apple invests in developer tools like the Game Porting Toolkit 4, Metal, and open-source Unity plug-ins to support its burgeoning gaming ecosystem.
The head of App Store Worldwide emphasized that Apple's strategies for attracting developers include addressing common challenges faced during distribution, such as discoverability. Apple utilizes a global editorial team dedicated to finding and highlighting new games, as well as providing indie developers with tools and services to reach new audiences and drive engagement.
One such recent addition is Creative Assets, a feature that allows indie game developers to showcase their game's artwork in search results and product page headers.
Indie Games Week, which kicked off on Monday, showcased seven titles on iOS, including critical darlings like Vampire Crawlers, Sifu, and Little Kitty, Big City. For an entire generation of players, their first gaming device wasn't a console or a PC, but an iPhone with a touchscreen. This development marks an existential win for Apple as it gains more developers' trust.
However, the interview left a lingering question: How many people are actually playing these games? Apple remains guarded with its data, making it difficult to measure the impact of its efforts on sales and user engagement.
Despite the lack of concrete data, Oliver stated that there has been clear growth in the number of games coming to the App Store, with more premium games launching this year compared to the previous year. Additionally, Apple has seen an influx of console and PC franchises making their way to mobile, which represents a burgeoning audience for these games. In summary, Oliver outlined a promising future for gaming on the iPhone and iPad, offering incredible diversity and creativity without compromising on quality.
Written by urgent.news from Techmeme's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
