Since the release of the iPhone 15 Pro with the A17 Pro chip, Apple’s first chip with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, Apple has been trying to convince major developers to release their games on iOS. AAA games like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage are already available on the App Store, but a new report shows that they aren’t particularly popular with iPhone and iPad users.
Commercial Performance of AAA Games on iOS
Data from Appfigures shows that demand for AAA games (console-quality games) on mobile devices is not as strong as some expected. The report says games made for iOS are “commercial failures” and suggests that Apple may have paid companies like Ubisoft and Capcom to bring their games to the iPhone as a way to promote the hardware of its latest devices.
Appfigures shows that Assassin’s Creed Mirage has received more than 123,000 downloads since its release on June 6th. However, as of last week, fewer than 3,000 people had paid $49.99 to unlock the full game. The report states that the game’s daily downloads are already averaging less than 3,000. These numbers are quite low compared to other free-to-play mobile games. In comparison, Assassin’s Creed Rebellion (a game made specifically for mobile devices) achieved almost 2 million downloads in the same period in which it was released, and gross revenue was 612% higher than Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Resident Evil 4, released for iOS in December, is also not very popular. The game had 357,000 installs, but only 7,000 people paid $29.99 for the full game. As for Resident Evil Village, about 5,750 people paid $15.99 for the full game.
In addition, there is a problem with the games themselves. These games have already been released on other platforms, and while a surprise release on Apple devices is nice, no one expected their release. If you wanted to play Mirage or Resident Evil, then you already bought them on the console; no one was waiting for them to come out on a smartphone or tablet.
Down the line, as games launch on Apple devices alongside consoles and PCs, we’ll see an increase in sales, but these early games are more of a “look what we can do” game rather than an attempt to achieve mass sales. Finally, AAA games are designed for game controllers, and touch controls are often poor and awkward. Additionally, even the largest iPhone has a small screen for complex games, making them less attractive to gamers.
But there are other points that should not be forgotten. Due to hardware limitations, these AAA games are only compatible with the latest iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. As for the iPad, they only work on models with M1 or later. This alone limits the number of people who can buy these games on iOS, notes NIX Solutions.
Additionally, AAA games cost much more than what smartphone owners are used to paying for mobile games, which also deters people from purchasing them. And while it’s certainly impressive that these types of games work on the iPhone, it doesn’t seem like they’re actually of interest to users, at least not yet. We’ll keep you updated on how this situation evolves.