Description
No Man’s Sky on an iPhone 11 is the kind of detail that makes you stop and ask how far mobile gaming can go. I sat down with Apple’s Carson Oliver, head of the global App Store, and Sebastian Kriese, head of games business development, to talk about App Store Indie Games Week, bringing ambitious games to iPhone and iPad, and what it takes to make them feel good on a touchscreen.
The seven-game lineup covers a lot of ground: No Man’s Sky, Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, Little Kitty, Big City, Dome Keeper, Nine Kings, and Yes, Your Grace 2. Apple is spotlighting these games as they launch or open for preorder, from exploring a procedurally generated universe to finding your way home as a house cat. We talk about the ideas behind the games, including Sifu’s aging mechanic and Dome Keeper’s beginnings as a weekend game-jam project.
Bringing those experiences to mobile raises some pretty practical questions. How do you make Sifu’s precise combat work with touch controls? How far back should a developer go when supporting older iPhones? Sebastian explains the decisions behind reaching more players, scaling graphics across Apple devices, and why Hello Games saw an opportunity to make No Man’s Sky’s inventory management feel better on a touchscreen.
Discovery is its own challenge. A small studio can make a great game and still struggle to get anyone to notice it, so I ask how Apple gives unfamiliar developers a chance alongside established franchises. Carson describes the App Store’s global editorial team, while Sebastian walks through custom product pages, creative assets, and tools for bringing players back when new content arrives. We also discuss what it takes to build a business that lasts beyond launch week.
The conversation also covers Apple’s Games app, Apple Arcade, and bringing the Sneaky Sasquatch team into Apple. To close, Carson and Sebastian share the games that surprised them personally, from Sifu’s demanding fights to the cozy world of Little Kitty, Big City. Then we look ahead to the possibilities Sebastian sees for indie developers on iPhone Duo, including games built around its different screens and the ways you can hold it.
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Apple's App Store Indie Games Week is Live!
00:29 - Why Is Now the Right Time to Celebrate Indie Games on the App Store?
01:50 - What Do These 7 Games Bring to the App Store?
02:33 - How Has the Importance of Gaming Changed at Apple?
04:55 - How Does the App Store Give Indie Devs a Chance Against Bigger Names?
07:57 - 7 Huge Indie Games Week Releases on App Store
12:42 - Bringing No Man’s Sky to iPhone
15:11 - No Man’s Sky Supporting iPhone 11 & Newer
17:09 - Making Successful Adaptations of Games for App Store
18:50 - What Makes the App Store a Lasting Opportunity for Indie Developers?
22:12 - Favorite Moments from the New Indie Games
23:44 - What New Ideas Are You Hoping to See Indie Devs Embrace?
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