Another One Bites the Dust - The State of Developer Support on tvOS

[Juicy Box]

I have been a long Apple TV user since the release of the first gen, buying every generation with the exception of the latest (due to it not really being an upgrade compared to the original ATV4K).

It is really sad to see the state of the Apple TV and tvOS, and it seems like developers, nor Apple really care about it. Developer support for apps on tvOS has been dropping like crazy, and only seems to be increasing.

There has been many games that I have purchase that are no longer playable on the Apple TV.

The latest that I noticed is RISK, which was regularly on the high end of the popular app list on the tvOS App Store.

Now, it doesn't load. It says it needs an update, but the update isn't on the tvOS App Store.

Sad, as I have invested over $50 in that game over the years, the cost of the game and buying new maps as they release.

RISK is only the latest of a lot of games that just stopped being updated and eventually stopped working on tvOS.


I doubt I am going to invest any more money in apps on tvOS.

 

[cmaier]

I have been a long Apple TV user since the release of the first gen, buying every generation with the exception of the latest (due to it not really being an upgrade compared to the original ATV4K).

It is really sad to see the state of the Apple TV and tvOS, and it seems like developers, nor Apple really care about it. Developer support for apps on tvOS has been dropping like crazy, and only seems to be increasing.

There has been many games that I have purchase that are no longer playable on the Apple TV.

The latest that I noticed is RISK, which was regularly on the high end of the popular app list on the tvOS App Store.

Now, it doesn't load. It says it needs an update, but the update isn't on the tvOS App Store.

Sad, as I have invested over $50 in that game over the years, the cost of the game and buying new maps as they release.

RISK is only the latest of a lot of games that just stopped being updated and eventually stopped working on tvOS.


I doubt I am going to invest any more money in apps on tvOS.

That’s sad

 

[JoeShades]

I don't have any games but the apps I use are updated

 

[w5jck]

I use mine mostly with TV and streaming apps, and they stay as up to date as the ones on Fire TV and Roku.

I used to play Risk back in the 1960s as a kid, but that was a board game and actually required interacting with other human beings who were playing it with you in the same room. I guess today most young people prefer to use social media rather than socialize in person, but maybe get the old board game and try it out with friends. You might open up a whole new interest.

 

[Lihp8270]

I use mine mostly with TV and streaming apps, and they stay as up to date as the ones on Fire TV and Roku.

I used to play Risk back in the 1960s as a kid, but that was a board game and actually required interacting with other human beings who were playing it with you in the same room. I guess today most young people prefer to use social media rather than socialize in person, but maybe get the old board game and try it out with friends. You might open up a whole new interest.

I also play the risk app, but on iPad.

It’s not about being online and not socialising. me and the OH often play “board” games in bed after the dog settles to sleep downstairs.

The iPad is a very convenient way of playing games like Risk, Trivia Pursuit, Monopoly, etc in a bed and take up very little space.

 

[0128672]

RISK is only the latest of a lot of games that just stopped being updated and eventually stopped working on tvOS.
I doubt I am going to invest any more money in apps on tvOS.

Did you contact the developer to ask for status? That's the best first step so at least you can find out what to expect, assuming they respond.

 

[Juicy Box]

I have a lot of games on the ATV, and have enjoyed many of them, but it seems like it is a dying platform. Even some new Apple Arcade games are being announced without tvOS support.

It would be one thing if the games were just free ones, but many games I have paid for, or paid for in-game content just don't work anymore.

RISK was probably the second most expensive game that I have invested in on the ATV, probably about $50. The most was probably Alliance: Air War, but that was due to being an early investor in the game.

I purchased Mindcraft on tvOS for my kids when it launched, I think that was $30, and that no longer works.

Most of the other games I paid for has been under $15.

I think I am done with tvOS, at least investing any more money in it. Unless something drastically changes with Apple and the Apple TV, I think it is just a dying OS.

I used to play Risk back in the 1960s as a kid, but that was a board game and actually required interacting with other human beings who were playing it with you in the same room. I guess today most young people prefer to use social media rather than socialize in person, but maybe get the old board game and try it out with friends. You might open up a whole new interest.

I have multiple RISK board games, the oldest one is probably older than you.

Playing the physical game is nice, and I too used to play it a lot as a kid, with modified rule (one attack per turn, card turn-in grants a rotating 5, 10, or 15 armies, etc.), matches would sometimes last literal days.

But, the biggest problem with the physical game was already noted by you:

actually required interacting with other human beings who were playing it with you in the same room.

Mix that with the amount of time invested, the physical board game isn't nearly as convienient as playing it from the confort of my recliner, at my schedule, and stopping when I want.

On the tvOS RISK game, I only play against the AI at the hardest setting, which isn't too bad, although not the same as actual humans.

A huge advantage for the digital version over the physical board game is the speed at which the game runs and the amount of options such as maps. I have many maps to choose from, like real life cities, fantasy maps, historical maps, etc. The physical board game only has one. I guess I could make my own, but again, the time invested is a huge factor.

Did you contact the developer to ask for status?

Yes, I have a ticket open with the developer. I have contacted SMG before with issues on the RISK game, and they are usually responsive. This time feels differently though, as I no longer see the RISK app on the tvOS App Store.

I think they just dropped support on tvOS.

I don't have any games but the apps I use are updated

Wished this was the same for my game apps.

 

[George Dawes]

Wish they'd update the YouTube app - it's awful

 

[JoeShades]

I am wondering why this person is still using an Apple tv , I have a great memory and this is the same person complaining about the same exact thing last year, so why would you still be here complaining?, Move on to something else

 

[Juicy Box]

Wish they'd update the YouTube app - it's awful

It is pretty bad, I love YouTube's content, but using the tvOS version of the app is very frustrating sometimes.

I am wondering why this person is still using an Apple tv , I have a great memory and this is the same person complaining about the same exact thing last year, so why would you still be here complaining?

I already mentioned that I am invested in the Apple TV. I have been a long time Apple TV user, and see the potential of the device, but my hope for Apple to make it anymore than an overprice and overpowered streaming box is diminishing.

so why would you still be here complaining?,

Because the issue is getting worse, as one of the more popular games on the tvOS App Store (RISK) appears to no longer be working.

 

[George Dawes]

YouTube on the appletv has this bizarre problem when you pause , instead of pausing and leaving a nice clean screen it fills it with god knows how many pictures and objects , bizarre mess and a nightmare to navigate

 

[JoeShades]

Apple TV will never be superior to XBOX OR Playstation, why not just move on to one of those? as far as youtube the app is improved from what it was but it does not work well with the new remote even though the app has been updated since the new remote was released, fast forwarding and rewinding is not good. It is true you get what you pay for, as a gaming machine it is cheaper than the others and not as good , as a streaming device it is superior to Roku and Fire tv but is more expensive. I will never understand the love some have for Roku, it is piece of junk. The Fire TV is fine but Amazon pushes there stuff which makes the experience not as good as it can be but it is miles better than roku. If you have the Money, Xbox + Apple tv is probably the best Combo

 

[Juicy Box]

So, my suspicions have been confirmed, the developer is no longer supporting RISK on the tvOS.

Interestingly enough, my theory about the tvOS mass exodus of gaming developers might actually be correct:

Due to the drastically reduced support by 3rd party SDK & plugin providers for tvOS we can no longer support the AppleTV version to the extent we would like to. We removed the App from the store and will gladly help you transfer your account with all stats and achievments onto any other platform. This includes Steam (PC and Mac), iOS Phones and Tablets, Android Phones and Tablets and most gaming capable Amazon devices.

This is reflective of what I have been seeing with the tvOS apps in the past two year, developers dropping support like crazy.

YouTube on the appletv has this bizarre problem when you pause , instead of pausing and leaving a nice clean screen it fills it with god knows how many pictures and objects , bizarre mess and a nightmare to navigate

Right now, the most annoying issue with the tvOS version of the YouTube app is trying to use the Siri Button for doing searches. The search bar clears itself as soon as the results pop up.

I found some work arounds, but the issue is really annoying.

Apple TV will never be superior to XBOX OR Playstation, why not just move on to one of those?

I never needed the Apple TV to be superior to current generation systems, but it would have been nice for tvOS to be a casual gaming platform. Apple really screwed gaming on it from the launch.

And like I said earlier, I am most likely not investing anymore money into tvOS, but I do have a lot invested already.

I see the potential, but Apple just doesn't seem to care about the Apple TV in general, let alone gaming on it.

 

[George Dawes]

Sad because it has so much potential, imagine one with an m1 chip , 6-8 gbs ram , give the PS4 a run for its money I reckon

 

[Abazigal]

I have been a long Apple TV user since the release of the first gen, buying every generation with the exception of the latest (due to it not really being an upgrade compared to the original ATV4K).

It is really sad to see the state of the Apple TV and tvOS, and it seems like developers, nor Apple really care about it. Developer support for apps on tvOS has been dropping like crazy, and only seems to be increasing.

There has been many games that I have purchase that are no longer playable on the Apple TV.

The latest that I noticed is RISK, which was regularly on the high end of the popular app list on the tvOS App Store.

Now, it doesn't load. It says it needs an update, but the update isn't on the tvOS App Store.

Sad, as I have invested over $50 in that game over the years, the cost of the game and buying new maps as they release.

RISK is only the latest of a lot of games that just stopped being updated and eventually stopped working on tvOS.


I doubt I am going to invest any more money in apps on tvOS.

Well, at least we have apple services to fall back on. Even if every developer ends up abandoning the Apple TV, we still have Apple Arcade, music and TV+.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

Such a shame. Apple completely dropped the ball. The Apple TV could have been a powerhouse gaming device if they had put more development into it and beefed up it’s storage and graphic performance. Also promote it as a home entertainment and security hub. Complete missed opportunity. One I will never understand.

 

[Eric Idle]

Such a shame. Apple completely dropped the ball. The Apple TV could have been a powerhouse gaming device if they had put more development into it and beefed up it’s storage and graphic performance. Also promote it as a home entertainment and security hub. Complete missed opportunity. One I will never understand.

Yep. Totally inexplicable. Apple's failure to execute on this and in other areas is mystifying. My guess is that the company has grown so large and bloated that even though they may see opportunities in some areas, their internal morass completely prevents them from executing any type of coherent plan. The failure of Apple TV is a great example of this. It could have been so much more. Instead, it is dying right in front of our eyes. Developers are leaving Apple TV leaving the platform a ghost town.

 

[Casey Royals]

Agree with most of what you say … it’s a mess, most of the features have sparse use by the developers… jog wheel doesn’t work everywhere, 10 second jump button doesn’t work on most apps. I had to buy the latest Apple TV because MLB dropped the app on LG TVs, and the MLB app on AppleTV is so pathetic - no Siri, skip buttons don’t work, no jog wheel support, no standings page, no innings selector etc etc.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

Yep. Totally inexplicable. Apple's failure to execute on this and in other areas is mystifying. My guess is that the company has grown so large and bloated that even though they may see opportunities in some areas, their internal morass completely prevents them from executing any type of coherent plan. The failure of Apple TV is a great example of this. It could have been so much more. Instead, it is dying right in front of our eyes. Developers are leaving Apple TV leaving the platform a ghost town.

Yup. It does indeed seem like they have grown so big that they cannot get things done. I often wonder what they DO in that big spaceship. Have lots of meetings I guess. I also think they get distracted with side projects that aren’t their core competencies....namely the car project. And the streaming service. They are so behind. Yet they ignored a platform they could have been a leader on and IS part of their core competency. I don’t get it. It’s just bizarre.