Summary
Applehas completed its first-ever game developer acquisition and reportedly plans to launch a dedicated gaming app before the end of 2025. Together, these moves could mark the company’s most significant gaming push in years, though their chances of makingAppledevices significantly more appealing to gamers remain unclear—if not doubtful.
For decades,Apple products weren’t built with gamers in mind. The reasons for that are multifold, and tend to vary across product categories. Mac hardware, for example, long prioritized battery life, thermal efficiency, and creative workflows, leaving gaming as little more than an afterthought. On mobile, while the iOS App Store became highly lucrative for casual titles, console-quality experiences struggled to gain traction. Developing such games was—and remains—challenging due to Apple’s software ecosystem, which requires continuous app maintenance to accommodate frequent, breaking changes in iOS updates. More recently, however, Apple has made some progress toward catering to gamers and game developers alike.
This trend may now continue with a dedicated gaming app that Apple is planning to launch in the coming months, according to a newBloomberg reportciting sources familiar with the tech giant’s plans. The app, whose name remains unknown, is said to have been envisioned as a gaming hub for mostmodern Apple devices, including the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Apple’s Gaming Hub Announcement Reportedly Coming Close to Switch 2 Launch
Bloomberg’s sources claim that the new gaming hub will be revealed during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, whose 2025 edition is scheduled for June 9, four days following the Switch 2 launch. The app will reportedly serve as an interface for browsing the iOS App Store’s game section and promote theApple Arcade subscription service. It’s also expected to replace Game Center, a social gaming platform and achievement system originally launched in 2010. Game Center started out as a dedicated app but was relegated to a Settings section in September 2016.
Apple Acquired Its First Game Developer
Separately,Digital Trends recently broke the storyof Apple acquiring Canadian developer RAC7, the two-person studio behindSneaky Sasquatch—widely touted as one of thebest Apple Arcade launch games. The acquisition marks Apple’s first-ever purchase of a game developer. A company spokesperson said the move does not necessarily indicate a major strategic shift, but rather reflects a unique opportunity to expand the Apple Arcade catalog.
Apple’s Gaming Focus Is on the Rise
While Apple may not be planning a game developer shopping spree anytime soon, its focus on gaming appears to be increasing. In addition to Apple Arcade, recent history saw the company introduce its Game Porting Toolkit in 2023, enabling developers to more easily adapt Windows games for modern Macs. The group has also been incentivizing ports of AAA titles for iOS and macOS, contributing to the arrival of games such asAssassin’s Creed Mirageand theResident Evil 4remake on Apple platforms.
