#Epic Games vs Apple

The fight over sideloading has been brewing for years, particularly after Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, accusing it of anti-competitive practices. Apple is taking a bold new step to unify its gaming ecosystem with the upcoming launch of the Apple Games app, an all-in-one hub designed to bring together games, friends, and social features across iPhones, iPads, Macs—and even Apple TV in the near future. With more than 500 million iPhone users actively playing games, Apple’s gaming audience is massive. Apple hopes this will breathe new life into single-player games by introducing asynchronous competition among friends. Apple’s newer devices now feature advanced chips capable of hardware-based ray tracing, elevating the visual experience of mobile games to console levels. Apple is also addressing one of the platform’s historical limitations: support for Windows games. With the Games app, Apple is signaling that it wants to offer not just a better gaming experience, but a more connected one. Microsoft is reportedly developing an update for its Xbox app that will allow users to view and access their game libraries from platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store. Read more in our articles including "Brazil Forces Apple to Allow Sideloading, Opening the Door for More Mobile Game Stores on iOS" and "Apple’s New Games App Turns iPhones Into Social Gaming Hubs".