Apple is taking gaming very serious.
A couple weeks ago we got a chance to spend time with Apple at their gaming event here in NYC and alongside diverse game developers from various gaming genres. They showcased the different ways Apple can be a force in the gaming industry across its ecosystem of devices. Each game title I played, or watch took place provided me with a different experience I wasn’t too familiar with Apple before. Where I had expected to play on iPhones and iPads I was quite surprised at the titles across their Mac and Macbook devices.
LEGO Star Wars: Castaways – Gameloft
This was the first game I tried out at the showcase. The title is available via Apple Arcade only and was being shown off via Apple TV 4K. This was the first time I have actually gamed on one and it was easy to get into as Lee Kaburis, Gameloft Game Manager and Senior Producer walked me thru. Also, it was being paired with a PS5 controller which made it easier to get into. But the developer was able to take me through the game having me do missions fixing “glitches” across different parts of Stars Wars history. They even had it paired up with the new HomePod 2nd Gen speakers to deliver a surround sound presence.
Lego Star Wars: Castaways is available exclusively now via Apple Arcade
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile – Activision
I have played plenty of COD Mobile on my smartphones so it felt right at home gaming on an iPhone 14 Pro Max and getting a chance to play this upcoming title. We were in teams as we geared up and took others down. Even had some run-ins at the Gulag which I manage to survive with Chris Plummer, Activision SVP on my team. We did play with a small group of people but I’m amped to see how it is when you get to see 120 live players eventually square off.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is currently available for pre-order via the App Store
Honkai: Star Rail – HoYoverse
Hot off the heels of the wildly popular Genshin Impact, HoYoverse is coming out with Honkai: Star Rail. There have actually been other Honkai games before this like Honkai Impact 3rd but this game will incorporate RPG turn based elements. I was playing for a bit on a iPad Pro 12.9” and it looks stunning graphically and seeing that M2 chip going to work.
Honkai: Star Rail is currently available for pre-order via the App Store
Run Legends – Talofa Games
Another title that was played on iPhone 14 Pro but takes full available of being mobile is Run Legends. This was created by Talofa Games who is under the Apple Entrepreneur Camp. You take on battles while walking or running at different paces as Jenny Xu, Talofa CEO was showing me. There are times where you have to cool down and you have to hit a certain mark to defeat enemies. It was fun getting a good stride back and forth at the showcase and something I can see doing on my lunch breaks as I like to walk anyway. It can be essentially considered a fitness app with fun tied into it.
Run Legends is currently available for pre-order via the App Store
The Medium – Bloober Team
We got a look at “The Medium” running on a M2 Mac Mini showcasing Apple Silicon and utilizing Metal. The Medium is an intense horror-based game that at times will highlight two different visuals going on simultaneously. I was watching the developer maneuver various environments and see the macOS handle the game steadily. This was all done with a PS5 DualSense Controller no less.
The Medium will be available via Mac App Store later this summer.
More games on macOS
Besides “The Medium” Apple also had other titles running on their various Macbooks which included the Air and Pro series. I got to play a bit of Resident Evil Village which has been available on Apple Silicon based devices for quite a few months now.
This has opened my eyes up to the gaming feats Apple can accomplish on their various products from iPhones to macbooks. It will be amazing to see how far they go with this as time progresses and more folks start to notice they can game natively on their apple devices without having to look elsewhere.
