Major gaming news at WWDC: Metal and New games

[Homy]

Until very recently it was impossible to have an Apple Silicon ONLY port on Steam.

Not sure what you mean by "very recently" and "Apple Silicon ONLY". Valve updated Steamworks SDK in Sep 2021 with support for ARM64 which allowed distribution of AS games. One of the first AS games on Steam was Myst. Lies of P was AS only and was released in September 2023 on Steam.

Steamworks Development - Steamworks SDK 1.52 Now Available - Steam News

Steamworks SDK v1.52 has been released, and is available for download from . Like any Steamworks SDK release, updating is recommended but not required - older versions will continue to work without issue. Release Notes ISteamInput Added support for bundling Steam Input API configurations w/ game...

store.steampowered.com

 

[JordanNZ]

Not sure what you mean by "very recently" and "Apple Silicon ONLY". Valve updated Steamworks SDK in Sep 2021 with support for ARM64 which allowed distribution of AS games. One of the first AS games on Steam was Myst. Lies of P was AS only and was released in September 2023 on Steam.

Steamworks Development - Steamworks SDK 1.52 Now Available - Steam News

Steamworks SDK v1.52 has been released, and is available for download from . Like any Steamworks SDK release, updating is recommended but not required - older versions will continue to work without issue. Release Notes ISteamInput Added support for bundling Steam Input API configurations w/ game...

store.steampowered.com

I meant Apple Silicon only as in no Intel binaries. And yes, Lies of P was exactly that.
I almost forgot we're in 2025 now

 

[Homy]

I meant Apple Silicon only as in no Intel binaries. And yes, Lies of P was exactly that.
I almost forgot we're in 2025 now

Well, the problem never was that they couldn't distrubute AS only games alone but as I said AS games at all directly. Once it was fixed you could have AS only games or both "macos64" and "masosapplesilicon".

 

[salamanderjuice]

It's up to the developer if they want to release on the App Store alone, or other platforms too. Apple isn't stopping them.

Until very recently it was impossible to have an Apple Silicon ONLY port on Steam. Which may have played a part in certain developers choosing not to release there.

The other reason for App Store only is unified purchases for iPhone/iPad/macOS.

How do you know it's up to the developer? I could very easily believe Capcom, Ubisoft and Kojima took some amount of money/help from Apple in exchange for MAS exclusivity.

 

[thenewperson]

How do you know it's up to the developer? I could very easily believe Capcom, Ubisoft and Kojima took some amount of money/help from Apple in exchange for MAS exclusivity.

That’s still strikes me as “up to the developer”.

 

[JordanNZ]

How do you know it's up to the developer? I could very easily believe Capcom, Ubisoft and Kojima took some amount of money/help from Apple in exchange for MAS exclusivity.

Inside Apple's Massive Push to Transform the Mac Into a Gaming Paradise

In an interview with Apple product marketing managers Leland Martin, Doug Brooks, and Gordon Keppel, we go deep on how Apple is transforming the Mac into a respectable AAA video games platform that can compete with PCs and consoles.

www.inverse.com

““It’s our ongoing mission to continue investing in the success of the global developer community who are really just transforming what’s possible on our products that we love, and we’re constantly listening to feedback and looking for ways to improve the App Store,” says Martin. He adds that where a game is made available for purchase on a Mac is up to the developer or publisher.”

The Capcom/Kojima games are universal purchases. No way for that to currently work outside of the App Store.

Where other games that are Mac only (like Lies Of P) are available on steam.

Apple hasn’t contributed anything other than developers being able to probe the metal engineering team for help/tips.

 

[salamanderjuice]

Inside Apple's Massive Push to Transform the Mac Into a Gaming Paradise

In an interview with Apple product marketing managers Leland Martin, Doug Brooks, and Gordon Keppel, we go deep on how Apple is transforming the Mac into a respectable AAA video games platform that can compete with PCs and consoles.

www.inverse.com

““It’s our ongoing mission to continue investing in the success of the global developer community who are really just transforming what’s possible on our products that we love, and we’re constantly listening to feedback and looking for ways to improve the App Store,” says Martin. He adds that where a game is made available for purchase on a Mac is up to the developer or publisher.”

The Capcom/Kojima games are universal purchases. No way for that to currently work outside of the App Store.

Where other games that are Mac only (like Lies Of P) are available on steam.

Apple hasn’t contributed anything other than developers being able to probe the metal engineering team for help/tips.

Yeah, sure. But again, we don't know the deals. I doubt it was zero strings to get it up on Steam or Epic too. Just makes no sense not to put them up there if that was the case. Could very well be Apple said they'd pay X for the port with MAS exclusivity or X-Y without it. Or something like that. Technically a choice but not the same. That article isn't really talking about specific games like RE:Village either. Just Mac gaming in general. In general they have a choice but of course they do on Mac.

Universal purchases is irrelevant. Just means Mac users buying it on Steam wouldn't get the iPhone version. That's a choice on the consumers end. Right now you can pick up Death Stranding on Steam and get it for Windows or you can get it off the Microsoft Store and get for Windows and Xbox.

 

[JordanNZ]

Universal purchases is irrelevant

When you buy the ‘Apple’ version you get access on iPhone/iPad/MacOS. These all work together with cross save via Game Center. Buy once, play on all Apple platforms.

You’d need an entirely different ‘port’ on steam for macOS vs the App Store for universal games.

So no, it’s not ‘irrelevant’.

 

[salamanderjuice]

When you buy the ‘Apple’ version you get access on iPhone/iPad/MacOS. These all work together with cross save via Game Center. Buy once, play on all Apple platforms.

You’d need an entirely different ‘port’ on steam for macOS vs the App Store for universal games.

So no, it’s not ‘irrelevant’.

Yeah, and you buy once on the Microsoft store and you get it on Xbox and Windows with cross save. It's literally the same.

There's no reason they can't slap the Mac port on Steam. It doesn't need the iOS version it doesn't download on Mac to run. It wouldn't need an entirely different port.

It's just a choice on the consumer end. Do they want a Mac/iPhone/iPad version or a Windows/Mac version on Steam or Epic or Windows/Xbox on Microsoft store?

 

[Homy]

Sniper Elite 4 is already out 3 weeks earlier. It has a demo and is on sale.

 

[mi7chy]

Mac App Store shouldn't penalize you with higher price ($24.99) for waiting almost 8 years after original release vs $4.50 for standard or $6.75 for deluxe Steam key from authorized retailer.

 

[damienDevZ]

Sniper Elite 4 is already out 3 weeks earlier. It has a demo and is on sale.

What the original cost?

What’s the normal price for it? Doesn’t show as on sale for me (CAD), unless it’s launching on sale with the price expected to go up shortly.

 

[Homy]

What’s the normal price for it? Doesn’t show as on sale for me (CAD), unless it’s launching on sale with the price expected to go up shortly.

The current Steam price is $60 for the base game and $90 for the Deluxe Edition. Deluxe appears to be the same as Complete. Being an older title it gets heavy discount during sales. It was ported to Mac since it’s the most popular title in the series according to the players. It appears to be on sale in MAS compared to the normal price but we have to wait and see if it goes up or remains the same. Despite being an older game it’s a new Mac port and the developers must earn their money back so expecting it to cost $5 at launch is simply unrealistic. The developers set the price not Apple/Mac App Store. The game also supports Universal purchase, i.e. one copy for Mac, iPhone and iPad, not something you can do with a Steam copy.

 

[mi7chy]

Mac App Store Sniper Elite 4 Complete seems Incomplete since it only lists Deathstorm and Target Fuhrer DLCs compared to Steam Sniper Elite 4 Deluxe for $6.75 on Green Man Gaming official retailer that has more extensive list of current DLCs (shown below) and also includes future DLCs. Will MAS include DLCs not currently listed?

 

[damienDevZ]

The current Steam price is $60 for the base game and $90 for the Deluxe Edition. Deluxe doesn’t appear to be the same as Complete, Complete has less content. Being an older title it gets heavy discount during sales. It was ported to Mac since it’s the most popular title in the series according to the players. It appears to be on sale in MAS compared to the normal price but we have to wait and see if it goes up or remains the same. Despite being an older game it’s a new Mac port and the developers must earn their money back so expecting it to cost $5 at launch is simply unrealistic. The developers set the price not Apple/Mac App Store. The game also supports Universal purchase, i.e. one copy for Mac, iPhone and iPad, not something you can do with a Steam copy.

Thanks for the info about the price. Hoping to find enough time to try it soon.

 

[Mac_fan75]

Hmm, I think I paid 30 euro's for the complete edition yesterday ingame on MacOS. I've played it on Xbox and loved it, and while back I had to get used to playing on a controller now I have to get used again to play with keyboard and mouse

 

[Homy]

Thanks for the info about the price. Hoping to find enough time to try it soon.

There is also no point in comparing the price between Mac and PC because Steam doesn’t have a Mac version. No Mac owner is going to buy a PC to play the game just to save $20 on Steam.

 

[salamanderjuice]

There is also no point in comparing the price between Mac and PC because Steam doesn’t have a Mac version. No Mac owner is going to buy a PC to play the game just to save $20 on Steam.

They might if it works well on Crossover or some other tool. Or if they also have a PC or Steam Deck to play on.

 

[diamond.g]

They might if it works well on Crossover or some other tool. Or if they also have a PC or Steam Deck to play on.

Rebellion had the whole series on sale in Steam a few years ago. I think it was before 5 came out.

 

[diamond.g]

@Homy ACS comes out March 20th.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows now releases March 20, 2025

A message from the AC Shadows team

www.ubisoft.com

 

[damienDevZ]

@Homy ACS comes out March 20th.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows now releases March 20, 2025

A message from the AC Shadows team

www.ubisoft.com

Delayed again and mired in controversy.

 

[Chancha]

Delayed again and mired in controversy.

Even without looking at the controversial bits, just with the visuals and performances, the game doesn't look promising. I can see it being a hot mess when it does launch, especially the iOS version.

 

[diamond.g]

Even without looking at the controversial bits, just with the visuals and performances, the game doesn't look promising. I can see it being a hot mess when it does launch, especially the iOS version.

It shouldn't look terribly different than AC:Mirage. Which isn't a bad looking game.

 

[DELLsFan]

There is also no point in comparing the price between Mac and PC because Steam doesn’t have a Mac version. No Mac owner is going to buy a PC to play the game just to save $20 on Steam.

Not surprising. Isn't Steam one big bloated platform of adware and spyware running in the background on Windows PCs that - oh yeah - happens to sell games?

 

[diamond.g]

Not surprising. Isn't Steam one big bloated platform of adware and spyware running in the background on Windows PCs that - oh yeah - happens to sell games?

Steam also does bunch of stuff that Apple will eventually have to start copying (anticheat, unified comms, friends list, achievements, messageboards, game modification platform, etc). Heck even the way Steam shows reviews is miles better than what Apple is doing right now.