Epic has filed a motion for an injunction against Apple in the US District Court for California’s Northern District, alleging Apple of attacking Epic’s entire business in unrelated areas. A federal judge on August 24 gave a temporary restraining order and ruled that Apple can't terminate Epic’s access to Unreal Engine development tools on Apple platforms, but let the Fortnite ban stand. A short-lived restraining order addressed the most pressing concern of Epic as it meant that Epic will be able to keep growing Unreal Engine for iOS operating systems, but the game is not over yet and the threat still looms.

Apple and Epic's Battle: Unreal Engine Games for iOS in Jeopardy? 

If Epic ends up losing access to iOS development tools, Unreal Engine game developers will have no other choice than using another game engine to build games for Apple platforms. It’s also a big worry for developers that have already launched Unreal-powered games for iOS and MacOS because an update from Apple that renders older games unplayable can result in huge revenue losses. Apple has also taken some such recent decisions like to reduce compatibility for 32-bit apps on iOS and on MacOS.

What Unreal Engine Users Will Lose

I have prepared a list of programs, technologies, and capabilities that Unreal Engine users will lose access to if the court upheld Apple’s revocation of Epic's dev tools.

• • All Apple software, SDKs, APIs, and developer tools

• • Pre-release versions of iOS, iPad OS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS

• • Pre-release versions of beta tools such as Reality Composer, Create ML, Apple Configurator, etc.

• • Notarization service for macOS apps

• • App Store Connect platform and support which assist in account transition, password reset, app name issues. etc.

• • TestFlight.

• • Access to provisioning portal for certificate generation, and provisioning profile generation.

• • Ability to enable in-app Apple services, including Apple Pay, CloudKit, PassKit, Music Kit, HomeKit, Push Notifications, Siri Shortcuts, Sign in with Apple, kernel extensions, FairPlay Streaming.

• • Access to Apple-issued keys for connecting to services such as MusicKit, DeviceCheck, APNs, CloudKit, Wallet.

• • Access to Developer ID signing certificates and Kernel Extension signing certificates.

• • Developer Technical Support.

• • Participation in Universal App Quick Start Program, including the right to use the Developer Transition Kit (which must be returned to Apple).

• • Ability to improve hardware and software performance of Unreal Engine on Mac and iOS hardware and optimize Unreal Engine on the Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI/Build Systems.

• Adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features into Unreal Engine.

If Epic lost access to all the above development tools necessary to build game apps for Apple Platforms, Unity may get a big competitive edge. It’s highly likely that many Unreal developers will turn to Unity, which is currently the most used game engine for building cross-platform mobile games. Yes, Unreal Engine scores higher when it comes to creating heavy graphics games, but Unity is quickly inching closer to level the playing field for Unity game development companies. So, Apple’s  revocation of Epic's dev tools could mean more Unity game developers building games for Apple platforms.

Alternatives to Unreal Engine

There are other alternatives to Unreal Engine as well, such as Construct 2, GameMaker Studio,  CocoonJS, MonoGame, Amazon Lumberyard and more. Game app developers will have to see which game engine will suit their game requirements the best if Apple won and rendered Unreal Engine unusable to build iOS and MacOS games. Game engines play a big role in the mobile game development process and that’s why Apple’s battle with Epic has a lot do with the developers who use Unreal for creating iOS and MacOS games. We all hope things between Apple and Epic get back to normal as before, and Unreal Engine developers keep making games for Apple platforms in the future too.

You can get in touch with us if you have a game idea and are looking for a game development studio for hire. Logic Simplified, a top game development company, is in the game development space for almost a decade now and has hands-on experience of using several cutting edge tools, such as Unity, Unreal Engine, Construct 2, Maya, Blender and many more, to create highly engaging video games. Outsourcing is already a very popular practice and it’s gaining even more steam as more and more gaming businesses are now looking to hire game designers and developers due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. There are several things that come to the mind before making a decision whether or not to go for offshore game design and development services. And that’s perfectly alright! We are all ears to hear your concerns and explain to you how our game experts can help you build a quality video game with reduced time to market, engaging game elements, and low cost. We have seen both successes and failures, and thus our hard-earned knowledge of what exactly works in the gaming industry and what doesn’t could greatly help turn your game idea into a revenue generator machine. Share your requirements by writing to us at enquiry@logicsimplfied.com, and we will get back to you shortly to provide you with gaming solutions we are proud of.

What Apple Arcade isn’t?

Unlike Project xCloud or Google Stadia, which I will be covering next, Apple Arcade is not a game-streaming service. What it means, in a nutshell, is that once you have downloaded a game, you can play it without even a stable Internet connection. The only exceptions are a few game titles that you wish to play on the Apple TV.

What Apple Arcade is?

Now, coming back to what Apple Arcade is, it’s a video game subscription service that costs $4.99 a month to unravel and enjoy a wide range of exciting video games, including The Enchanted World, Where Cards Fall and Shinsekai: Into the Depths. The beauty of Apple Arcade is that it comes Ads free and without in-app purchases (IAPs). You don’t even have to pay a penny for the updates and content that Apple said the players will receive automatically.

Besides, players can share the subscription with up to five other people, so you can also let your family members and friends to have the gaming fun under just one subscription. For some of the games, you can also pair PlayStation 4 Dual or Xbox One S controller with your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac.

Exclusive to iPhone users

None of the Apple Arcade games will be available on Google Play Store, and the company is reportedly shelling out more than $500 million just to ensure the exclusivity of Apple Arcade games. However, after the expiration of time exclusivity period of a particular game, developers can bring it to consoles or PCs as well.

Apart from games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Beneath a Steel Sky and Where Cards Fall, Apple Arcade will also feature games from established game studious, including Bossa Studios, Cartoon Network, Annapurna Interactive, Finji, Giant Squid, and many more. The genre ranges from puzzlers to adventure, role-playing, frantic arcade games, 5-minute time-wasters to fantasy games.

Also read iOS game developed and published by our iPhone game development company in India.

Availability and Features

Apple Arcade is the first-of-its-kind game subscription service and is reported to be available in more than 150 countries to support on iOS, Mac, and Apple TV. Apple Arcade also comes with added parental controls for parents to decide what type of content is right for their children. You can set a screen exposure time as well after which the games downloaded from Arcade will not be accessible to children.

Although Apple Arcade doesn’t have the full library of games as of now, it’s worth trying with a one-month free trial. If you like the service you can start paying for the subscription after the free trial gets over or simply quit.

Looking Ahead

It would be too early to say if Apple Arcade will be a big success or an attempt in vain. But as we know how Apple can change the way iPhone game developers build game apps and users pay to use them, the latest move is highly likely to have a big impact on the video game industry. Primarily because of the long-running trends of Ads and IAPs that game app developers have relied on for years to rake in billions of dollars. Apple itself charged 30% of all IAPs.

Apple Arcade will certainly be praised by those who don’t like to watch ads while playing video games on their devices and pay for IAPs every now and then. A few months from now will clear the picture about how Apple Arcade will do going forward. Till then, you can try a free trial of Apple Arcade yourself to see if it’s any worth your time and money.