Not everything may be good at Apple. A recent report has revealed growing frustration among game developers working with Apple Arcade and Vision Pro. While the platform offers high-paying financial deals, developers have expressed significant concerns about Apple’s support and management, which they say are negatively impacting their projects.
According to a report by Mobilegamer.biz, some game developers at Apple face delay in payment, with one indie studio reportedly waiting up to six months for compensation. Communication issues are also prevalent, with the Apple Arcade team frequently unresponsive to routine emails and scheduled meetings often poorly attended or unproductive.
Technical support for Apple’s Vision Pro has been described as “miserable” by developers, who claim that the device struggles to run complex games and that development is like “going back in time 10 years.” Apple engineers reportedly lack insight into Vision Pro’s hardware and software, leaving developers without crucial support for integrating essential middleware.
Discoverability issues on Apple Arcade are another point of contention, with some developers feeling their games are neglected in favour of newer titles. One developer likened the experience to their game being placed “in a morgue” due to poor promotion and visibility.
“It feels like the game’s been in a morgue for the last two years,” the website quoted one of the developers. “It doesn’t matter what we put in the game, Apple won’t feature us, 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.”
However, despite these challenges, many developers acknowledge the financial benefits of working with Apple. The initial contracts were reportedly very generous, with significant advances and royalties. However, the process of securing deals and receiving payments has become increasingly difficult, with some developers facing backlogs and lack of clear communication from Apple.
