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Apple enters the world of video games with a new app

Apple is preparing to take a significant step in the video game industry, where it has shown untapped potential, despite having over 1 billion active iPhones and a market-leading App Store. According to Bloomberg, the company plans to launch a new app focused on video games that will replace Game Center, offering consolidated access to Apple Arcade, unified achievements, and personalized recommendations. This app will be available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices by the end of this year. A platform with which they seek to carve out a space in the world […]

Apple is preparing to take a significant step in the video game industry, where it has shown untapped potential, despite having over 1 billion active iPhones and a leading mobile App Store. According to Bloomberg, the company plans to launch a new gaming-focused app that will replace Game Center, providing consolidated access to Apple Arcade, unified achievements, and personalized recommendations. This app will be available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices later this year.

A platform they seek to carve a niche in the world of video games

One of the most notable features of this new app is the ability to run games downloaded from other sources on Macs, a strategic move that could attract regular PC gamers on platforms like Steam. This functionality suggests an interest from Apple in expanding its user base and strengthening its presence in the competitive world of gaming.

In addition, Apple has made its first acquisition in the field of video games, buying the studio RAC7, known for its popular title Sneaky Sasquatch, which is part of Apple Arcade. Although a company representative emphasized that this purchase does not indicate a shift towards a strategy of massive acquisitions, it does reflect a commitment to offering exclusive content and diversifying its catalog.

The official presentation of the new application will take place on June 9 during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, where more announcements about other products and services are also expected. With these initiatives, it seems that Apple is ready to make a bolder move in the video game sector, an area where players have been waiting for a more aggressive move from Tim Cook’s company.

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Apple buys the studio that developed one of the most popular video games on the platform

Apple has acquired RAC7, the developer of the popular game Sneaky Sasquatch, marking the first time the Cupertino company has incorporated a dedicated video game studio into its infrastructure. This acquisition aims to expand the player base of Sneaky Sasquatch within Apple Arcade, a subscription service launched in 2019 that has sought to attract both casual gamers and renowned developers. Apple seems to want to strengthen its video game division A spokesperson for Apple expressed enthusiasm for the addition of the RAC7 team, which consists of only two people, stating: “We love […]

Apple has acquired RAC7, the developer of the popular game Sneaky Sasquatch, marking the first time that the Cupertino company incorporates a dedicated video game studio into its infrastructure. This acquisition aims to expand the player base of Sneaky Sasquatch within Apple Arcade, a subscription service launched in 2019 that has sought to attract both casual gamers and renowned developers.

Apple seems to want to strengthen its video game division

An Apple spokesperson expressed their enthusiasm for the addition of the RAC7 team, which consists of only two people, stating: “We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work with us.” The company plans to continue providing an enriching experience for Apple Arcade players, with hundreds of games available from some of the best developers in the world.

However, this is not the only initiative from Apple in the field of video games. The company will be presenting a new gaming app on June 9 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). This new app will function as a launcher and gaming hub, allowing users to track achievements, leaderboards, and messages. It is reported that it will be pre-installed on all Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, starting later this year.

The launch of this app coincides almost directly with the arrival of the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, which could be interpreted as a strategic move by Apple to position itself as a direct competitor in the video game market. Although some analyses suggest that the acquisition of RAC7 and the new application do not necessarily form part of a broader effort, the timing of these revelations certainly sends a clear message about Apple’s determination to establish itself in the world of digital entertainment.

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The most medieval adventure arrives at Hello Kitty Island Adventure

The Fruitful Friendship update for Hello Kitty Island Adventure has been available on Apple Arcade since April 18 and promises to offer players a renewed and exciting experience. In the Imagination Celebration event, players will join iconic Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, Kuromi, and My Melody in a medieval adventure where they must collect Mystic Stones to restore magic in the Kingdom of Friendship. This temporary event ends on May 22, so game enthusiasts must act quickly to not miss this opportunity. New possibilities for the Imagination Cafe, […]

The Fruitful Friendship update for Hello Kitty Island Adventure has been available on Apple Arcade since April 18 and promises to offer players a renewed and exciting experience. In the Imagination Celebration event, players will join iconic Sanrio characters, such as Hello Kitty, Kuromi, and My Melody, on a medieval adventure where they must collect Mystic Stones to restore magic in the Kingdom of Friendship. This temporary event ends on May 22, so game enthusiasts must act quickly to not miss this opportunity.

New possibilities for the Imagination Cafe, a new character, and more content

In addition to the event, the update includes a new mechanic where players will help Keroppi plant and maintain a garden on the rooftops of City Town, allowing them to grow 13 new fruits. These fruits will be used to create new varieties of Fruit Sandos at the Imagination Cafe, thus expanding the possibilities within the game.

Among the new features, Puko is introduced, a new character who will join the City Town community. Players will have the opportunity to decorate a cabin as a home for Retsuko’s new friend, in addition to new missions for the previously established visitors in the city. In response to community requests, improvements have been made to the game’s quality of life, such as a map that will facilitate navigation through the sewers of City Town and an updated tool wheel.

Likewise, Sunblink Entertainment anticipates the arrival of additional seasonal content, related to an iconic Sanrio character, suggesting that players prepare for an “egg-centric” takeover on the island. All of this positions Hello Kitty Island Adventure as a constantly evolving title, available on Apple Arcade, PC (via Steam), and Nintendo Switch.

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Katamari announces a new title, but bad news: it's exclusive to Apple Arcade

After almost eight years of waiting, Katamari Damacy fans have reasons to celebrate with the announcement of a new title: Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE. This game, which maintains the classic gameplay of the series, will initially be exclusive to Apple Arcade subscribers, although who knows… It is scheduled for release on April 3 and will be available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. The streaming aspect of Katamari Rolling LIVE brings a modern twist to the franchise with a focus on the streaming career of the King of All Cosmos. According to the information provided […]

After almost eight years of waiting, Katamari Damacy fans have reason to celebrate with the announcement of a new title: Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE. This game, which retains the classic gameplay of the series, will initially be exclusive to Apple Arcade subscribers, although who knows… It is scheduled for release on April 3 and will be available on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Streaming arrives at Katamari

Rolling LIVE brings a modern twist to the franchise with a focus on the streaming career of the King of All Cosmos. According to the information provided in the announcement, players will be able to energize the King’s live streams by creating stars from the objects they collect. As the game progresses, fan comments within the game will appear in real-time, allowing players to see reactions like more objects, please! or why was this in my recommendations? on the side of the screen. This added aspect brings a contemporary and playful air to the traditional Katamari experience.

Despite the excitement generated by this new release, the exclusivity of Apple Arcade has been seen as a drawback by many players eagerly awaiting its arrival on other platforms. However, there is hope, as several titles from Apple Arcade have made the jump to other consoles after their initial release. For example, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which debuted as an exclusive on Apple Arcade, later arrived on Nintendo Switch and PC this year.

With the Katamari Damacy community waiting for a new game for over five years, the announcement of Rolling LIVE adds a dose of excitement, despite its momentary exclusivity. Anticipation for April 3rd is growing as fans hope to see if this game could follow the path of others and reach new platforms in the future.

Apple lacks the most important thing to dominate in the gaming industry: video games

Apple celebrated its Scary Fast event on October 30th, where it showcased the new Mac product lines and introduced the powerful M3 chip family. These chips came with significant improvements, such as a completely redesigned GPU focused on gaming. However, what good is this power if the game selection for macOS remains so limited?

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We can’t deny that Cupertino is taking the world of gaming seriously. They have demonstrated this with announcements like the arrival of Death Stranding on Mac and titles from the Resident Evil series, just to name a few. However, there still exists an abysmal lack of variety in their game catalog. With the launch of the M3 chips and the efforts being made to port Windows titles to Mac, Apple now has the opportunity to make a significant impact and assert its presence in the gaming industry.

Graphics more powerful than ever on a Mac

The new GPU architecture integrated into the M3 family will be key for us to see heavyweight titles on Mac. It boasts three very important additions: hardware-accelerated ray tracing, mesh shaders, and dynamic caching for storage.

Additionally, Apple also has a very interesting tool, the Game Porting Toolkit. Introduced at this year’s WWDC, it is used to create a Windows emulation environment within Mac. According to Apple’s own claims, this tool would allow developers to see how their game would function within the macOS environment in a matter of minutes.

Will we see more games on Mac?

However, all these efforts and advancements could go to waste if we still don’t have the most important thing: video games. It’s no secret that the macOS environment has always been severely neglected by developers. Just look at the major releases in the industry; there are hardly any versions specifically made for Mac.

Until we see significant game releases on Mac without having to wait for months or years, we won’t experience real change. For Mac to be considered a platform to be reckoned with, the arrival of major titles must become a regular occurrence, as it does with Windows and PC. After all, all we need is to have more video games on Mac.

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Source: Digital Trends.

Hit Game Developed by Final Fantasy Creator Makes Its Debut on PC After iOS Success

Fantasian is a game that was a critical and public success, but it never left Apple Arcade, but it seems that now it will come to Steam

Final Fantasy XVI has created a lot of division among fans. For every person who has loved it, there has been another person who has hated it, and its evident issues have been talked about even more than its numerous and glorious successes. For many people, it’s not a Final Fantasy, but for many others, it is. However, what we can all agree on is that we miss the classic games, with their turn-based combat, unique music, and that particular taste for innovation within 2D. Something that the creator of Final Fantasy also seemed to miss.

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We say this because Fantasian, the latest game to date from Hironobu Sakaguchi, could be coming to Steam soon. Having been released exclusively for Apple Arcade in 2021, on August 2nd, a version of the game called “Fantasian Playtest” was listed on SteamDB. This indicates that the exclusivity with the Apple platform has indeed ended, and the game may arrive on PC in an indeterminate future.

In fact, this is a very real possibility according to recent statements from Sakaguchi himself. In an interview with IGN Japan during the Monaco Anime Game International Conferences 2023, he mentioned that he was aware that many people were asking for a PC port of Fantasian and that, in fact, it was something they themselves wanted. This desire also extended to the possibility of a sequel.

Fantasian is a game developed by Mistwalker, a studio founded by Sakaguchi in 2006. Its main focus is on being a turn-based role-playing game very similar to the classic Final Fantasy titles. It even boasts the legendary Nobuo Uematsu as the composer, who is known for creating the music for virtually all the Final Fantasy games up to IX.

Whether we will eventually see Fantasian on PC and when exactly remains a mystery. However, all signs point to the possibility that, with a bit of patience, we will soon be able to enjoy this game that has received critical acclaim and is being compared to Sakaguchi’s great classics.

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Stay in the Loop with Apple Arcade: How to Get Notifications for New Game Releases

A system that allows us, after discovering a certain title, we don’t have to be more aware of its launch until we start playing it.

The Apple Arcade collection is growing day by day. Apple is surprisingly adding games on a regular basis while others are collected in the form of new releases before they become available. Among a growing catalog, a very useful option of the platform is to receive a notification when a certain game we are interested in becomes available.

Top 7 iPhone Arcade Games to Play this Easter

Games with an unconventional approach, but that, each one in its category, convinces.

Apple Arcade is a game subscription service that offers a wide variety of exclusive games for all our Apple devices. The catalog includes more than 200 titles, from adventure games to puzzle and racing games. A catalog with quite recognized titles, such as Asphalt 8, Angry Birds Reloaded or NBA 2k23, but also with small hidden gems.