Apple App Store chief reports growth in premium gaming

Carson Oliver, the new head of App Store Worldwide at Apple, reports an increase in premium games arriving on the platform this year compared to last. In an interview with Polygon, Oliver stated that the App Store is designed to allow indie titles to compete alongside major entertainment franchises.

Apple is focusing on technical advancements to support high-end gaming, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing, the Metal graphics framework, and the Game Porting Toolkit. These tools are intended to reduce the cost and effort required for developers to port PC and console games to Apple devices. Recent examples of this ecosystem in action include the port of No Man’s Sky.

To support smaller developers, Apple is introducing features like Creative Assets, which allows for custom artwork in search results, and utilizing a global editorial team to highlight new titles. This strategy aligns with recent initiatives like Indie Games Week, which showcased diverse titles such as Sifu and Little Kitty, Big City.