Apple Reportedly Launching a Separate Game App Store to Fully Stick It to Epic

It’s often said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, Microsoft and Epic should feel very flattered right now. A new report suggests Apple is going all in on its own dedicated app store for games that will include game suggestions, friends lists, and more. But before we start pretending that “Sherlocked” is an actual term again, just remember that not all is fair in love and app marketplaces.

This new game marketplace was described as an “App Store-like app” that combines some of the features of Game Center, according to a report by 9to5Mac based on anonymous sources familiar with the matter. It may not replace Game Center but would drag your profile to the new storefront. The app would feature titles from the App Store and Apple Arcade.

Users can find multiple tabs, one for friends and another for game suggestions based on past play habits. There may be additional tabs for Achievement-like challenges and leaderboards. Furthermore, according to 9to5Mac, Apple may be working to get FaceTime or iMessage available for in-game communication. Most gamers would naturally gravitate to Discord anyway. Still, depending on how Apple integrates all this within its ecosystem, it could accommodate some family members who don’t know what a “Discord” is.

Apple has had its eye on gaming lately. Earlier this year, the company invited Gizmodo to an event showing off some high-profile games playable across the iOS, iPad, and Mac ecosystems, including new games such as Frostpunk 2. The total list of games is still paltry compared to what’s available on Windows-based PCs, but the number of available titles is growing, even if it still feels like it is at a glacial pace. With iOS 18, Apple upgraded the Game Porting Toolkit to help developers bring macOS games to iOS.

As much as it may sound like the Xbox app on iPhone, the timing seems a particular attempt to bruise Epic and CEO Tim Sweeney. In August, the company could finally launch its Epic Games store on iOS, though only in the EU. For Apple users in the U.S., there’s still no official support for third-party app stores. Apple and Sweeney have a fraught history, so this move by Apple could be the Cupertino tech giant’s way of declaring it will lead iOS in gaming, along with everything else.

More than four years ago, Epic sued both Android and Apple over their forcing apps to use their first-party app payment methods. Though Apple was not called a monopoly like Google, Apple is still fighting to ensure third parties, including Epic, continue to pay the 30% so-called “Apple tax” fee on in-app transactions.

The hedges on Apple’s walled garden remain strong, though the same can’t be said for Android. Earlier this month, a federal judge declared Google had to open up its mobile OS to third-party app stores. Google is still able to monopolize to some degree. Last week, the judge granted Google a reprieve from the order, letting it keep forcing apps to use Google Play billing while it goes through the appeal process. Either way, Microsoft has been eyeing this moment to launch its own competing Xbox app store on Android.