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Apple Arcade Frustrations Persist for Game Developers
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Oh it works very well: people keep right on buying & believing, driving "another record quarter" quarter after quarter. And when the great games don't show, it's the developers fault/being greedy/etc. Apple lip service works really well. Spin how 8GB RAM is equivalent to 16GB of PC RAM and the evangelists apparently not on the payroll will soon be spreading that gospel far & wide.
I'd like to see Apple proclaim the sky is green and see how long it takes for many of us to readily agree. Would that take hours or perhaps more than a day or three?
Apple Arcade is a fail. That's why Apple is pulling resources from it. Eventually, it will die organically, then Apple will pull it from the Apple One bundle, leaving the price the same and telling you "Well, at least we didn't increase the price of the bundle."
I've been an Apple developer for 30+ years… The best advice I have is, if you get in bed with Apple, always have a backup plan. Apple has always been fickle with its developer community. They'll sell you on a technology to get you to develop with it, then they might pull the rug out from under you. Great examples from the past are QuickDraw GX, OpenDoc and AOCE (Apple Open Collaboration Environment).
Fortunately, Quantum was smart enough to keep the rights to their code when Apple killed the new AppleLink software agreement. They took that code and made AOL with it. Backup plan.
I've been an Apple developer for 30+ years… The best advice I have is, if you get in bed with Apple, always have a backup plan. Apple has always been fickle with its developer community. They'll sell you on a technology to get you to develop with it, then they might pull the rug out from under you. Great examples from the past are QuickDraw GX, OpenDoc and AOCE (Apple Open Collaboration Environment).
Fortunately, Quantum was smart enough to keep the rights to their code when Apple killed the new AppleLink software agreement. They took that code and made AOL with it. Backup plan.
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It would also help if they, you know... had better games on there.
Like sure, Crossy Road Castle and What The Golf are nice games, but am I really going to pay $6.99 a month for games like that when I can get games like Minecraft, Final Fantasy, or even a full modern AAA game like Resident Evil Village for one-time payments — or a massive open-world adventure like Genshin Impact for FREE? 🤔
I think Apple Arcade is something that might have been a great idea 10+ years ago, but today it hasn't really kept up with the reality of mobile gaming.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Like many who eventually wise up to the lip service game, I got my AAA gaming (and much more) the old fashioned way: adding a good gaming PC to the mix... which immediately brought a great abundance of AAA games, great retro options (Launchbox/Big Box anyone?), etc. Chose one built around Nvidia card, installed the free Moonlight app on AppleTV and can then readily run games on that PC and play them through AppleTV on the best screen and sound system in the house... or any other TVs around the house with AppleTVs attached.. or iDevices.
Oh, and putting MY money where MY mouth is, the price I paid for all of that is LESS than what Apple charges to upgrade any Mac to having 8TB storage... the upgrade price alone, not including the rest of the Mac. So I spent less than a Mac upgrade and completely scratched just about every possible gaming itch. Others interested in great gaming might want to act now instead of waiting the eternity for the mountain of AAAs that will likely never actually come... unless Apple chooses to play ball in the most tangible way that absolutely works for Microsoft & Sony... which is NOT via more lip service about how serious they are THIS time.
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It kinda is Apple’s fault. They started out marketing to a prestige audience the same as they do for TV+, then pivoted away and neglected that audience before they had a chance to bed into the market.
Apple should either axe this completely or go at it in a big way. The way it is now is pretty embarrassing.
These three seem to capture the sentiment. But in its defense I’ll say this:
Apple Arcade does solve one clear problem, and it’s a problem of Apple’s own making. No sane parent would turn their child loose on the App Store, not even to the point of letting them choose games under supervision. The App Store is a cesspool of casino games for children.
Right now Arcade is the only “safe space” in the App Store where you won’t find predatory in app purchasing and advertising. They’re games people like me have already played, but for ten or so year olds they are brand new.
It’s probably not what Apple had in mind, but it probably is the change in vision alluded to in the article. They seem to be leaning in to that angle because it works better for everyone. Developers don’t have to make super hit triple a games for it, just make decent basic ones and get paid better than they would for making more IAP garbage.
It’s not about the money as much as it is Apple being totalitarian about how they allow game devs to work within the ecosystem. Gaming dies on Apple platforms because devs don’t have enough room to work in.
Oh it works very well: people keep right on buying & believing, driving "another record quarter" quarter after quarter. And when the great games don't show, it's the developers fault/being greedy/etc. Apple lip service works really well. Spin how 8GB RAM is equivalent to 16GB of PC RAM and the evangelists apparently not on the payroll will soon be spreading that gospel far & wide.
I'd like to see Apple proclaim the sky is green and see how long it takes for many of us to readily agree. Would that take hours or perhaps more than a day or three?
In some areas maybe, but macOS, iPadOS & VisionOS app ecosystems would very much disagree with your premise
What I'm referring specifically is the "build something and devs will flock to it" hubris
That is very much dead
The Apple TV hardware too. They (Apple) are still The iPhone Company. I will not pay a monthly fee to only play The Oregon Trail. Reviews of the game are weak.
Sad to hear these stories. Hopefully this feedback gets back to Apple management. Long delays in the customer experience department are not unique to Apple, but should be unacceptable at Apple.
Hmmm? Apple TV is great! A third-party app is not Apple's fault, or their hardware. Apple didn't create The Oregon Trail.
Fun fact... The Oregon Trail was the first computer game I played on Apple hardware! The Apple IIgs back in middle school days! Oh, those were the days!
I feel for the developers here. They’re the bread and butter for Apple existence in the long haul. I really wish this will change soon because the customer (me) would like to have some great choice in games.
With Hello Kitty and Snake.io as the top games, you can see what happened to Apple Arcade. They started with original titles but they're just too specific.
Maybe Apple Arcade looks too childish for children.
Out of business perspective I personally would treat developers for my platform as first class citizens because I am dependent on them to deliver the fuel for my platform. If Apple was a startup with not so much profit I could understand not everything runs like an oiled machine. But you’ve mentioned before that their development software is bug ridden. For a company this big and with so much resources at hand, it’s a total disgrace.
I remember the late nineties when Apple almost collapsed. This behavior will lead to another downfall. Somehow I hope the earnings figures will show that later this day. Not for a downfall of Apple but as a wake up call to make things better. Better products, fair prices and respect for developers and customers.
New ceo with passion for technology and a vision and a total shake up in management.
I suspect any new CEO will just be more of a shareholder-focused CEO then even Cook, and they will double-down on services revenue to the detriment of hardware and software updates. The Devil you know.
Cook was hand-picked by Jobs. The next CEO won't be.
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One large problem for Apple in the gaming world is Apple itself. Most of the gaming world are made of Windows/Linux users who absolutely despise anything Apple.
Then there's the complete knee-capping of older games thanks to Metal, the hardware to run games on and ofc the lack of money developing for the MacOS platform.
Then there's the complete knee-capping of older games thanks to Metal, the hardware to run games on and ofc the lack of money developing for the MacOS platform.
A huge problem for gaming on iOS is the Appstore. The Appstore is overfilled with pay2win games and ad based cash grabs so that it is hard to explore the more decent games. You can't filter search results for e.g. in app purchases or categories. Other than in the charts for paid games it is hardly possible to find full value games. There are some but hidden in between the useless stuff. Even the categories are a joke. I mean GTA is in the same category as Doodle Jump.
Compare that to Steam or what they offer on the gaming consoles. There are also a lot of free games but they are not so predominant and you get a lot of interesting suggestions.
Compare that to Steam or what they offer on the gaming consoles. There are also a lot of free games but they are not so predominant and you get a lot of interesting suggestions.
Apple needs to stop pretending it knows anything about gaming.