Apple could soon take on Discord with a new App Store-like app for gamers

Over nan past fewer years, Apple has been building its devices’ gaming reputations, pinch Mac gaming yet taking disconnected and nan iPhone becoming an incredibly celebrated handheld for gamers of each stripes. Now, it looks for illustration nan institution could beryllium taking things a measurement further pinch an all-new app that would activity arsenic a benignant of gaming App Store.

According to “reliable sources acquainted pinch nan matter” cited by 9to5Mac, Apple plans to motorboat a caller app that “combines functionality from nan App Store and Game Center successful 1 place.” This could fto you download games, observe caller titles, connection your friends in-game, and more.

The study from 9to5Mac states that nan app will person a “Play Now” tab pinch “editorial contented and crippled suggestions” from some nan App Store and Apple Arcade. The caller app will location challenges, leaderboards, achievements and accusation astir upcoming gaming events, and would besides merge pinch your existing Game Center profile. Developers whitethorn moreover beryllium capable to administer mini games utilizing App Clips.

The article compares Apple’s gaming app to Microsoft’s Xbox app for iPhone, which lets you group a status, spot your friends’ activities, find caller games and browse your crippled library. The thought is that it could go a gaming hub that integrates features recovered successful respective different apps from Apple.

A caller Discord rival?

One of nan much absorbing features mentioned by 9to5Mac is 1 that mightiness extremity up rivaling nan Discord chat and calling app, which is very celebrated pinch gamers. The study states that Apple is “experimenting pinch immoderate benignant of integration pinch FaceTime and iMessage successful its caller gaming app – perchance to thief players pass pinch each other.”

Apple has tried various gaming strategies successful nan past, pinch nan astir salient being Apple Arcade. This subscription work lets you salary $6.99 / £6.99 / AU$9.99 a period to summation entree to a ample room of ad-free games that activity crossed aggregate Apple devices.

Yet contempt its promising premise, Apple Arcade has never really taken off aliases attracted AAA titles to its roster. That’s perchance because each of its games must activity crossed a scope of Apple products, from nan iPhone to nan Mac. Without being capable to optimize for Apple’s much powerful systems, games are inevitably constrained successful what they tin do, which isn’t awesome news for Mac gamers.

It sounds for illustration nan gaming app unearthed by 9to5Mac would beryllium a different beast, though. Offering a autochthonal measurement to pass pinch different gamers mightiness beryllium nan ace up its sleeve, but whether it will beryllium capable to person group to ditch nan incredibly celebrated Discord app is different matter.

It’s not clear if this app will beryllium constricted to nan iPhone aliases brought to different devices for illustration nan Mac arsenic well. However, 9to5Mac says it’s chartless whether Apple will merchandise it arsenic portion of a early iOS 18 update aliases prevention it for iOS 19, suggesting it will travel to Apple’s mobile devices astatine nan very least. Whatever nan case, it could thief to fortify Apple’s position arsenic a institution that takes gaming progressively seriously.

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