Apple Buys Its First Ever Video Game Studio
Apple, best known for iPhones, MacBooks and other sleek devices, might make your next favorite video game. The tech giant on Tuesday confirmed to CNET that it bought the two-person studio RAC7 -- the same studio that created the popular Apple Arcade exclusive Sneaky Sasquatch.
"We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the two-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us," an Apple spokesperson said in an email. "We will continue to deliver a great experience for Apple Arcade players with hundreds of games from many of the best game developers in the world."
RAC7 released Sneaky Sasquatch on Apple Arcade in 2019, and the studio has released regular updates since then. In 2020, Apple awarded that game Apple Arcade Game of the Year.
James Martin/CNET
According to Digital Trends, which first reported on Apple's purchase of RAC7, Apple sees the acquisition as a means to help the studio grow its game within Apple Arcade. The report also said Apple plans to keep working with third-party studios to create games for the service.
Read more: Your Next Favorite Console is Already in Your Pocket
While this move seems odd, it's not that unusual since other companies with gaming services own gaming studios. For example, Netflix Games owns a handful of gaming studios, including Spry Fox and Night School Studio, which created the Cozy Grove and Oxenfree games, respectively. And who could forget about Microsoft's growing list of gaming studios, including industry heavy-hitters like Activision Blizzard and Bethesda?
It's not surprising that Apple would want to extend its reach in mobile gaming as mobile gaming is a highly profitable industry. According to a 2024 NewZoo report, mobile gaming revenue accounted for about half of all gaming revenue in 2023, bringing in about $90 billion.
Apple has a means to deliver mobile games to people via Apple Arcade, so I wouldn't be shocked if the company made a deliberate move into the profitable mobile gaming industry.
For more on Apple Arcade, here are the games coming to the service in June and what you should know about the service.
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