Apple has been trying to get serious about gaming the last few years, and since the introduction of the M-series chips there has been a lot effort to get game developers onboard the Apple ecosystems.

Apple did and is still continuing to get some traction with multiple AAA games coming to its devices – not two years after release on other platforms but on the same day these games launch on PC + consoles.

But headlines like this from Gamesradar make are making it look as if it’s all gloom and doom to Apple’s gaming efforts. Tools like the Game Porting Toolkit and hardware-acceleration thanks to Metal have got a few game developers onboard, but do not seem to get users on board with Apple’s plan.

The Gamesradar article states that only around 3000 copies of Assassin’s Creed Mirage have been sold on the iPhone. There can be many reasons for this:

1. AC Mirage is limited to the iPhone 15 series, so unless people have the latest iPhone offering from Apple they can’t play this game. I don’t know how many people out there have one of the iPhone 15 models but i know that number is significantly small compared to all the iPhones out there. This isn’t an excuse as 3000 copies of the game is a very low number. But Apple has to start somewhere, in a few years there will be more iPhones out there that should be able to support the latest AAA games and this should not put off the developers. Consider the iPhone 15 as the starting point for AAA capable gaming on the iPhone.
2. The review of AC Mirage on the iPhone weren’t really helping the game, with crashes and performance issues reported. Unfavourable reviews don’t help whatever the game or app is.
3. It’s a free to play download game, where you can try the game for before having to pay £45 to unlock the full game. Sometimes a simple trial/demo is enough to put off the novelty of a new game, leading to not unlocking the full game.
4. AAA games need a physical controller (or keyboard) to be enjoyed, yes, you can use the touch controllers on the phone but that is bound to be a bad experience for a game that was designed with a physical controller in mind. And yes, you can pair a Bluetooth game controller with the iPhone, but I don’t know how many people have a controller lying around. Or if this is the first time they have to buy a controller meaning you have to fork £45 for the game and also another £50 on a controller. Hurdles like this don’t help.
5. If the iPhone users had a controller, this usually mean they have a console, where gaming would be a much superior experience on a much bigger screen. Why would you want to buy this game on a phone if you have a console? You could argue that they could be gaming on the move on the phone, but it is very hard trying to convince a gamer to buy a game on a phone when there are other better alternatives out there.
6. Games like AC Mirage simply would not work on an iPhone – a touch first device. I play lot unique and great games on the iPhone that would only work on the iPhone. And an Assassin’s Creed game is definitely not one of them!

I don’t think this is all bad news for Apple and its users. The iPhone may not be a gaming device but it is good that the choice is out there for the users. AC Mirage should or should not be played on an iPhone depending who you ask, but it definitely can be played. And it’s great that the iPhone which is a tool for a lot of things be able to play a AAA game too.

Apple has shown that it is getting serious about gaming, and this is a good start, but if Apple really wants to showcase the iPhone (and its other devices), then it should have some exclusives. Get Hideo Kojima, or a popular publisher to make a game just for Apple’s platforms. Why would a AAA publisher want to make a game for Apple when sales seem to be low? This is where Apple can invest and eat up some or most of the costs. Apple does have more money than anyone, why not use it to get some exclusive games on board?

And while we are on the subject of Apple making exclusive games, why not make a controller too? A controller that would pair with MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and even the Apple TV? Apple already sells the PS5 DualSense controller, the Xbox controller and the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons? Why not sell their own first party controllers too? This also helps into bringing in more interest to the platform and also sends out a message that the company is serious about gaming.

Apple needs to change the narrative so that people are willing to spend more than £50 on a game, and show us that both AAA and simple touch friendly games can both exist on the App Store.