Latest news with #RAC7
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple has bought a game studio for the first time
is buying a game developer. The company has purchased RAC7, makers of Sneaky Sasquatch. This is the first time in Apple's history it has purchased a game maker. Apple is wading even deeper into the deep end of gaming. The tech giant, for the first time in its history, has bought a game developer, acquiring RAC7, a two-person team behind the Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch. 'We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the 2-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us,' Apple said in a statement to Fortune. '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.' Apple, for years, kept a distance between itself and games, even as electronic entertainment proved to be one of the most popular categories in the app store. In 2019, it launched Apple Arcade, a library of over 200 ad-free games, which currently costs $6.99 per month. Still, though, it steered clear of making the games itself. Among the launch titles was Sneaky Sasquatch, and the game's popularity has never wavered. Players play as Bigfoot, tiptoeing around the forest in stealth mode, eventually learning to drive cars, disguise themselves and ski, while avoiding capture. Apple's purchase follows similar moves by Netflix, which has been expanding its presence in the gaming world and purchasing game studios. The reason for the land grab is exactly what you would expect. There's big money in mobile games. A 2024 report from NewZoo found mobile gaming revenue accounted for about half of all gaming revenue in 2023, totaling nearly $90 billion. Games also keep people's attention focused on their screens and can build brand loyalty (just as Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft can attest). By increasing its focus on gaming, Apple could further lock customers into its ecosystem, ensuring they upgrade their device rather than switching to a Samsung or other Android phone. This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Apple buys its first-ever video game studio; promises to deliver ‘great experience' for Arcade
has acquired RAC7, the two-person video game developer known for the Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch. This marks the Cupertino-based tech giant's first-ever acquisition of a video game studio. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apple has described this move as a unique situation, indicating a specific interest in RAC7's work. The studio's previous credits include indie titles Dark Echo and Splitter Critters. In 2019, RAC7 released Sneaky Sasquatch as an Apple Arcade exclusive. The adventure game emerged as a notable success among the service's launch titles and has received consistent updates since its release. With this acquisition, the RAC7 team will now continue its partnership with Apple as an internal studio, with Apple promising to deliver a "great experience for Apple Arcade." What Apple said about acquiring its first-ever video game studio In a statement to Digital Trends, an Apple spokesperson said: 'We love Sneaky Sasquatch and are excited that the 2-person RAC7 team has joined Apple to continue their work on it with us. 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.' Apple's acquisition of indie studio RAC7 is not part of a broad new gaming strategy but rather a specific opportunity to expand Apple Arcade's offerings, the report claims. Apple plans to continue working with a range of third-party studios, both large and small, to develop games for the service. While the deal may seem unexpected to those not closely following Arcade, it fits within the platform's existing model. Earlier, Apple Arcade Senior Director Alex Rofman highlighted Sneaky Sasquatch as a standout title whose popularity extends to real-world events like birthday parties. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Since its launch in 2019, Arcade has relied on a select group of indie developers—such as RAC7, Lykke Studios, and Triband Games—to release new titles each month. Recent additions include a fresh Katamari Damacy entry, a sequel to Space Invaders: Infinity Gene, and Gears & Goo for Apple Vision Pro. Despite RAC7's purchase being an isolated case, it underscores Apple's ongoing support for its subscription gaming service . This call will steal your money: "Family Scam" working & how to protect yourself!
Hypebeast
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Apple To Launch Dedicated Gaming App
Summary Appleis reportedly set to launch a dedicated gaming app across its devices, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, with a likely reveal at WWDC 2025 on June 9th and a full release in September 2025 as part of iOS 19. This new app aims to serve as a centralized hub for all gaming activity, replacing the existing Game Center. According toBloombergkey features of this new app are expected to include a game launch which is a single place to launch all the users' games, centralized achievements and leaderboards, Apple-curated content highlighting new titles and game recommendations, seamless Apple Arcade integration, social features to connect and communicate with friends as well as Mac compatibility. On Mac, the app is expected to even support games downloaded outside of the App Store, a significant move for Apple. This initiative is seen as Apple's most significant push into the gaming market, aiming to establish itself as a more serious player in the industry and provide a unified, console-like experience across its ecosystem. It comes strategically just days afterNintendois expected to launch itsSwitch 2console. Apple recently acquired its first dedicated game studio RAC7 , further signaling its commitment to expanding its gaming ecosystem.
CNET
4 days ago
- Business
- CNET
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.
Engadget
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Apple buys the maker of Sneaky Sasquatch
Apple has bought a game studio for the first time. Digital Trends reported on Tuesday that the company has scooped up RAC7. The two-person team is behind the Apple Arcade hit Sneaky Sasquatch . For years, some investors have hoped Apple would apply its full clout to the gaming industry. Although recent years have seen the launches of Apple Arcade and Game Mode for Macs, there's still untapped potential. Another piece of news on Tuesday makes it easier to speculate that something is brewing. Bloomberg reported that the company will launch a revamped gaming app at WWDC. The new app is said to replace the oft-forgotten Game Center. However, Giovanni Colantonio of Digital Trends suggests the acquisition isn't necessarily a sign of what's to come. He notes that Apple described the RAC7 purchase as a unique situation to help the small studio grow. "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," Apple told the publication. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Sneaky Sasquatch was a launch title for Apple Arcade in 2019. Engadget's Devindra Hardawar described it as an example of how the service can let developers "cut loose and get weird." And weird, it is. (Delightfully so!) You play as the mythic Bigfoot, tiptoeing around a forest. What starts as a quirky stealth game takes even stranger turns. As you progress, you'll learn to drive cars, disguise yourself as a human and hit the slopes. Over five years later, the quirky title is still one of Apple Arcade's tentpole games. It sits alongside favorites like Katamari Damacy Rolling Live , Skate City: New York and Threes! And we can't forget one of Engadget's all-time favorite games, Balatro . The "almost perfect" port of the deck-building game hit the service last year.
