Apple Arcade Fails to Grasp Gamer Needs, Irks Developers

Apple Arcade, while providing a platform for mobile game developers, has been a source of significant frustration for many, according to a report by Mobilegamer.biz. This article delves into the insights shared by developers about their experiences with Apple Arcade.

Apple Arcade: A Mixed Bag for Mobile Game Developers

A recent "Inside Apple Arcade" report by Mobilegamer.biz sheds light on the challenges faced by developers working with Apple Arcade, Apple's subscription-based gaming service. The report outlines several issues, including delayed payments, insufficient technical support, and problems with game discoverability.

Many studios have expressed frustration over the prolonged wait times for responses from the Apple Arcade team. An indie developer shared a harrowing experience of waiting up to six months for payment, which nearly led to their business's collapse. They stated, "It’s a very difficult and long process to sign a deal with Apple these days. The lack of vision and clear focus of the platform is frustrating, and if there is any goal, it keeps changing every year or so. Also, technical support is pretty miserable."

Another developer highlighted the slow response times, saying, "We can go weeks without hearing from Apple at all, and their general response time to emails is three weeks, if they reply at all." They further noted that inquiries about product, technical, and commercial aspects often result in non-answers or unhelpful responses due to a lack of knowledge or confidentiality restrictions.

Discoverability is another significant issue. One developer lamented that their game felt "been in a morgue for the last two years" because Apple refused to feature it. They expressed, "It’s like we don’t exist. So as a developer, you think, well, they’ve given us this money for exclusivity… I don’t want to give them the money back, but I do want people to play my game. It’s like we’re invisible." The quality assurance (QA) process was also criticized, with one developer describing it as "submitting 1000 screenshots all at once to show you have every device aspect ratio and language covered," which they found excessively burdensome.

Despite these frustrations, some developers acknowledged that Apple Arcade has become more focused over time. "I think Arcade knows who its audience is much more today than at the outset. If that doesn’t turn out to be high concept artful indie games, that’s not Apple’s fault," one developer remarked. They added, "If they can build a business on family games, good for them and good for the devs who can chase that opportunity."

Furthermore, some developers recognized the positive impact of Apple's financial support. "We were able to sign a good deal for our titles which covered our whole development budget," one developer noted, crediting Apple's funding for their studio's sustainability.

Developer Claims Apple Does Not Understand Gamers

The report suggests that Apple Arcade lacks a clear strategy and feels disconnected from the broader Apple ecosystem. One developer stated, "Arcade has no clear strategy and feels like a bolt-on to the Apple company ecosystem rather than like it is truly supported inside the company." They further criticized Apple's understanding of gamers, saying, "Apple 100% does not understand gamers – they have little to no info on who plays their games that they can share with developers, or how they interact with games on the platform already."

The overarching sentiment among developers is that Apple views them as a "necessary evil." One developer elaborated, "Given their status as a huge tech company, it feels as if they treat developers as a necessary evil, and that we will do everything we can to please them for little in return, in the hope that they grace us with another project – and a chance for them to screw us over again."