Media: Apple to launch dedicated gaming app across its devices

Apple Inc. is preparing to introduce a dedicated app for video games on its devices, aiming to position itself as a leading player in the gaming market.

Sources say the new software, set to be preinstalled later this year on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, will serve as a hub for game launches, centralising achievements, leaderboards, messaging, and other activities, Caliber.Az reports per Bloomberg.

These individuals requested anonymity as the announcement has not yet been made public.

This initiative is intended to improve the gaming experience on Apple devices amid growing competition from cloud gaming services and traditional consoles. Notably, Nintendo is set to launch its eagerly awaited Switch 2 shortly before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on 9 June, where the new app will be unveiled.

The app will also include editorial content from Apple highlighting new games, provide direct access to the App Store’s gaming section, and promote Apple Arcade, the company’s subscription service costing £5.99 a month. It will replace the existing Game Center — a social platform for gamers introduced in 2010 that never gained significant traction.

Apple plans to offer a version of the app for Mac computers that will support games downloaded from outside the App Store as well.

A spokesperson for Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, California, declined to comment. Last year, technology site 9to5Mac reported that Apple was developing a new games app for an upcoming software update.

As part of its expanded focus on gaming, Apple recently acquired RAC7 Games, a small studio behind the popular title Sneaky Sasquatch, as reported by Digital Trends.

The iPhone remains one of the world’s most popular gaming devices, with gaming having been a key focus of the App Store since its launch in 2008. Recent years have seen the arrival of high-profile games such as Resident Evil, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed on Apple platforms. Approximately two-thirds of the App Store’s revenue is generated by games and in-app purchases, including virtual currency and upgrades.

The Mac has seen improvements in gaming performance thanks to faster chips and developer tools that facilitate porting games from other platforms. However, Apple is not widely regarded as a major player in the gaming industry, and many developers and gamers feel the Mac still falls short compared to Windows PCs for high-end gaming.

While the new app is expected to streamline gaming on Apple devices and raise the profile of the category, early testers suggest it may not change the prevailing view among gamers and developers of demanding titles.

The app will be part of the next major iOS update scheduled for release in September, coinciding with the launch of the next iPhone series. The update will also include a redesigned user interface, codenamed Solarium, intended to create a more unified experience across Apple devices and align the interface more closely with that of the Vision Pro headset.

Additional features planned include AI-powered battery and health management, an enhanced Translate app, real-time conversation translation via AirPods and Siri, a bidirectional Arabic-English keyboard, a virtual calligraphy pen for Apple Pencil users, and a new system to sync hotel Wi-Fi credentials across devices. The Vision Pro will also gain an eye-scrolling feature.

By Aghakazim Guliyev