Apple Arcade Just "Does Not Understand Gamers" and Frustrates Game Devs

While Apple Arcade has provided a platform for mobile game developers, the service has left many in the industry feeling frustrated and disheartened, according to a report by Mobilegamer.biz. This article delves into the insights and experiences shared by developers working with Apple Arcade.

Apple Arcade: A Mixed Bag for Mobile Game Developers

The "Inside Apple Arcade" report highlights a range of issues faced by developers, including delayed payments, inadequate technical support, and challenges with game discoverability. These problems have led to significant dissatisfaction among the developers.

One indie developer recounted waiting up to six months for payment, which nearly led to their studio's collapse. They expressed frustration over the process of signing deals with Apple, stating, "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 from the Apple Arcade team, 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 also noted that inquiries about product, technical, and commercial aspects often resulted in unhelpful or non-committal responses due to a lack of knowledge or confidentiality constraints.

Discoverability emerged as a significant issue, with one developer feeling their game was neglected, stating, "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 developers describing it as excessively burdensome, requiring them to submit numerous screenshots to cover various device aspect ratios and languages.

Despite these challenges, some developers acknowledged that Apple Arcade has improved its focus over time. One developer noted, "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. If they can build a business on family games, good for them and good for the devs who can chase that opportunity."

Additionally, some developers recognized the positive financial impact of Apple's support. One stated, "We were able to sign a good deal for our titles which covered our whole development budget," emphasizing that without Apple’s funding, their studio might not have survived.

Developer Critique: Apple's Lack of Understanding of Gamers

The report also suggests that Apple Arcade lacks a clear strategy and feels disconnected from the broader Apple ecosystem. A developer commented, "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. 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."