Apple, the manufacturer of the iPhone, plans to launch a dedicated gaming app by the end of this year, Bloomberg reported on the 27th (local time). According to sources, Apple has been developing the dedicated gaming app and plans to unveil it for the first time at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 9.
The app is expected to be pre-installed on iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TV set-top boxes by the end of this year. It will serve as a hub that collects existing gaming apps in the App Store, allowing users to easily find, enjoy, and communicate about games on Apple devices. This will replace the Game Center, which has been in operation since 2010.
Bloomberg analyzed that the launch of this dedicated gaming app is a strategy to enhance the gaming experience on Apple devices and solidify its position as a gaming hub amid various alternatives such as cloud gaming and consoles. The iPhone is one of the most widely used gaming platforms worldwide, and gaming has been a core category since the App Store began in 2008.
Recently, around two-thirds of the revenue from the Apple App Store comes from games and in-app purchases, alongside the addition of high-performance games. Apple is also offering a subscription-based gaming service called Apple Arcade and is focusing on the gaming business, including acquiring RAC7 Games, the developer of the popular game "Sneaky Sasquatch."
While the Mac has improved in graphic performance and introduced Game Porting Tools, Bloomberg noted that "the Mac still falls short of Windows PCs as a gaming platform," adding that "the new app may enhance game accessibility and convenience, but it may not fundamentally change the perceptions of high-performance game developers and users."