Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19

[MacRumors]

Apple is working on a standalone multi-platform app for games, reports Bloomberg. The app will let Apple users launch games, plus it will have sections for in-game achievements, leaderboards, editorial content, and communication.

Apple plans to preinstall the app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV later this year, which corresponds with the launch timing of iOS 19, macOS 16, and tvOS 19. The gaming app will debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference that's set to take place on June 9.

The upcoming app is set to replace Game Center, which Apple has long used for inviting friends to play mobile games and tracking achievements. While Apple plans to use the new gaming app to promote Apple Arcade, it will include all of the third-party games that are currently located in the Games section of the App Store.

It sounds like Apple is aiming to split out the App Store's gaming, making it easier for customers to find and download games on their devices. On the Mac, the app will also "tap into" games that are downloaded outside of the Mac App Store.

While the gaming app will be previewed at WWDC, it will roll out to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs in September when the operating systems launch to the public.

Article Link: Apple to Launch Dedicated Gaming App in iOS 19

 

[matttarantino]

But will they finally kill the iTunes app?

 

[Adam Warlock]

Why not launch actual games instead? And I mean games of _all_ types, not just simple phone games but full-fledged RPGs, action games, adventures, etc. C'mon, Apple. You've been pussyfooting around gaming for years now. **** or get off the pot.

 

[damienDevZ]

FINALLY! As an Apple gamer, this is my single most wanted and anticipated feature for iOS and Mac. So stoked to see what they do with this. 😁

 

[Donkey Man]

Tim Spindler is utterly, completely lost - what’s Game Center for, then? And buying some stupidly childish gaming studio is not gonna change anything. Even the embedded Netflix games are a billion times better than anything Apple has ever done in this area. Just leave, Timmy - your time has come.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

So, Game Center 2.0 ?

 

[tomtad]

If it doesn't look like this I'll be pissed

 

[gmanist1000]

Need M4 in the Apple TV and we’ll talk.

 

[WilliApple]

We got Apple gaming 💀
That sounds so weird to say especially since it’s coming to Mac…

 

[ToothBlueth]

Would competing game stores be allowed too, then? Where games can be downloaded from their app? Or is this something else?

I think I was thinking of these reports:
XBox mobile store: https://www.pcmag.com/news/why-is-the-xbox-mobile-store-delayed-microsoft-says-its-apple-fault , and;
Nvidia geforce: https://umatechnology.org/nvidia-bypasses-apples-app-store-launches-geforce-now-on-ios-via-safari/

 

[paulovsouza]

Can we get some real studios. Can we get some power on Apple TV. AAA on Macs. Like amp it up, don’t just make an app launcher.

 

[cateye]

Hey guys, I got it. I know how we can have mad cool gaming cred. Let's reinvent Steam, but only Apple. The kids will love that.

How is it humanly possible that every single gaming-related thing Apple does be this stupid. How.

 

[klasma]

It sounds like Apple is aiming to split out the App Store's gaming, making it easier for customers to find and download games on their devices.

If this leads to the App Store app not being filled with game ads all the time anymore, that would be an improvement. That doesn’t seem particularly likely, though.

 

[Fuzzball84]

They could easily split Apple TV into a regular and a gaming version. Don’t call it Apple TV Pro, that’s BS.

Just Apple TV and Apple TV Game edition. Allow decent games on both and encourage studios to port decent console class games to both but make it so the Apple TV gaming version an SoC capable of playing AAA level games. They easily have the means to build something as powerful as switch 2. Even the standard Apple TV have had powerful hardware for generations except lacking storage and RAM.

 

[ToothBlueth]

Don’t call it Apple TV Pro, that’s BS.

Apple: Okay, Apple TV MAX

 

[ToothBlueth]

The 6/12 Angry Birds haha, what a time to be alive. Fruit Ninja being another classic.

 

[xmarcuswildx]

Oh… like arcade?

 

[damienDevZ]

Why not launch actual games instead? And I mean games of _all_ types, not just simple phone games but full-fledged RPGs, action games, adventures, etc. C'mon, Apple. You've been pussyfooting around gaming for years now. **** or get off the pot.

It’s definitely not up to PC or console levels, but I’m currently playing Death Stranding, RoboCop, Wuthering Waves, Firewatch, and soon Cyberpunk on my Mac. Seems some full blown AAA games are playable and more are coming.

 

[kk1ro]

It seems like this will be Apple's Steam, in a way? Could be interesting!

Hoping they announce a ton of games for iOS, macOS and tvOS to go with it, because the app/platform by itself would not make a lot of sense... They need to make it attractive for both players (by having a ton of content) and developers (by offering good tools and deals).

 

[BornAgainMac]

I want to be able to play Angry Birds within a native Mac GTA 6 game with my character's iPad running natively on my iPad M4 at high frame rates.

 

[klasma]

They could easily split Apple TV into a regular and a gaming version. Don’t call it Apple TV Pro, that’s BS.

Just Apple TV and Apple TV Game edition. Allow decent games on both and encourage studios to port decent console class games to both but make it so the Apple TV gaming version an SoC capable of playing AAA level games. They easily have the means to build something as powerful as switch 2. Even the standard Apple TV have had powerful hardware for generations except lacking storage and RAM.

Also gaming controllers, and something to turn an iPhone or iPad into a Switch-like experience. Apple is like “eh, that’s not important, users can buy third-party controllers if they really think they need that”. While Apple has been adding more buttons to the iPhone (reluctantly not purely haptic ones), it still feels like they don’t really like physical controls. Same for the Vision Pro. They could make it all a great gaming ecosystem, but they act as if the regular gaming scene is somehow “ugh, yuck” and un-Apple.

 

[fatTribble]

I’d love to play more games, but whenever I browse Apple Arcade nothing jumps out at me. Hopefully this will begin a new gaming era. 🤓

 

[BornAgainMac]

I’d love to play more games, but whenever I browse Apple Arcade nothing jumps out at me. Hopefully this will begin a new gaming era. 🤓

I played over 200 Apple Arcade games maybe 18 months ago. I gave each game a chance and it had to be something I liked after playing it for at least 5 minutes. I put all the games I hated in a folder and all the games I liked in separate folder. It turned out there was 110 games that I liked. I have not had time to play all the games I liked from that list but I do play at least one Apple Arcade game daily for at least 30 minutes.

The worst thing about Apple Arcade is when a game that I like to play is removed and not available as a paid or free game in the App Store and also not available for Android. I have lost at least a dozen games that were removed from the Arcade choices.

 

[freedomlinux]

Let's reinvent Steam, but only Apple.

I think there's something interesting here about the market for AAA games on App Store / Mac App Store.

If I buy a game on Steam, that'll generally mean I get it for Windows, macOS, and Linux - whatever versions the developer has made. But if I buy the same game on the App Store, I get it on .... macOS

Now of course the calculation changes when 32-bit macOS games and/or Intel macOS games are no longer compatible, but in general using the Mac App Store has less value simply because it is less flexible.

 

[GermanSuplex]

I like this idea. I don’t game much, but Apple Arcade is included in my Apple One plan and I like the idea of a hub rather than individual apps.