Apple is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most well known tech companies in the world. They have managed to rise and stay on top despite changes to the industry and have expanded into many areas like music with resounding success, but one area none of us could have predicted they would be interested in is video games and gaming overall. Now, they are entering this new arena and are prepared to compete with industry heavyweights like Sony or Nintendo.
Apple’s new gaming venture, a surprising move for the company
One of the reasons why this is so surprising is because Apple products are known for being notoriously bad to game in, as they have a lot of exclusive and proprietary software that is incompatible with most games and studios. But they have also come up with a solution for it, purchase their own studio and make games that are exclusive for them.
While this strategy could work, especially if the games are good, they are also reinventing some of their software to make it be more compatible with current fames and they are aiming to turn future Apple devices into serious gaming hubs, ready to play right out of the box.
They are launching a new gaming platform to replace the old Game Center, which not many people used due to its severe limitations and are hoping that their customers will follow them in this new chapter for the company. Plus, the new platform is expected to be included on all the latest Apple devices, so anyone buying into the ecosystem will have it at their fingertips without having to download anything or waiting.
But gamers are picky, and there is a reason why some studios are more popular than others, especially if you are delving into the world that goes beyond mobile phone games and are expecting to succeed at the same level that PC and console games do. That is why on top of designing their own games, they are talking to studios that usually develop for consoles like PlayStation and Xbox, because that could mean that titles that were once locked into specific consoles could now become available on Apple products.
This is just a rumor, for now, , but the hint of those possible partnerships has fans curious, and considering the power that Apple wields, some of the studios would be foolish to not at least consider the partnership.
The shift in how gamers view gaming though could be a problem. It is a massive global industry that has been finetuned to appeal to those who take it seriously as well as beginners, so if you are used to the traditional setup on the couch with a controller and a console hooked up to the TV, this might not be for you.
Apple is suggesting a new experience, more akin to the Nintendo Switch, where the setup puts gaming wherever the player goes. Players will not need a console anymore. just a phone or tablet and dive into a full gaming experience. And since the platform would be baked into the OS, a whole new group of users could potentially get into gaming without any extra steps, broadening the market and demographics.
This shift could bring in a wave of new casual gamers who have never thought about playing before or have been dismissed for just playing on their phone and given a chance could get into some of the more recognized games. With that kind of easy access, the player base could explode, and Apple would be the one raking in the cash, potentially even more than Xbox and PlayStation, two of the industry’s best known competitors.