Apple Arcade Struggles to Appeal to Gamers, Frustrating Developers

Apple Arcade: A Double-Edged Sword for Mobile Game Developers

While Apple Arcade offers a platform for mobile game developers, a recent Mobilegamer.biz report reveals widespread frustration and disillusionment among those involved. The article explores the challenges developers face while creating games for this subscription service.

Developer Concerns with Apple Arcade

Despite some studios acknowledging Apple Arcade's contribution to their survival, numerous issues plague the platform. A recurring theme is inadequate support from Apple, leading to significant problems.

The report highlights significant delays in payment, with one indie developer reporting a six-month wait that nearly bankrupted their studio. Another developer described weeks of radio silence from Apple, with email response times exceeding three weeks, if a response was received at all. Technical, product, and commercial inquiries often yielded unhelpful or non-existent answers, attributed to a lack of knowledge or confidentiality constraints.

Game discoverability is another major hurdle. Developers feel their games are neglected, with one describing their title as being "in a morgue for two years" due to a lack of promotion. The stringent quality assurance (QA) process, requiring the submission of thousands of screenshots to cover all device aspect ratios and languages, adds further burden.

A More Nuanced Perspective

However, the report isn't entirely negative. Some developers noted a shift towards a clearer target audience for Apple Arcade over time, and many acknowledged the vital financial support received from Apple, stating that without it, their studios would not exist.

A Lack of Understanding and Strategic Direction

Despite the positive aspects, the prevailing sentiment is one of a lack of direction and integration within the broader Apple ecosystem. Developers feel Apple Arcade lacks a coherent strategy and is treated as an afterthought, rather than a fully supported initiative. A significant criticism is Apple's apparent lack of understanding of its gaming audience and its inability to share valuable player data with developers.

The overarching feeling is that Apple views game developers as expendable. One developer expressed the sentiment that they are treated as a "necessary evil," exploited for their work with minimal return, only to be potentially discarded after each project.