There are now reports suggesting that Apple is planning to deliver a major overhaul to Game Center, its online game services experience for mobile, and it will reportedly be transformed into an Xbox-like app.
Instead of the usual Game Center that only allows players to connect with other iOS users and complete challenges, it will reportedly become a full-fledged gaming app for iPhones and iPads.
Currently, Apple's Game Center has not evolved as much in past updates, and it features an experience for users to keep track of their achievements, leaderboards, and competitions with friends.
Apple Will Reportedly Revamp Game Center
Bloomberg shared a report saying that Apple is now planning to announce a massive revamp coming for Game Center, its social gaming network available across different devices. The service has been a long-standing one for Apple devices, and it has given users a chance to connect over apps and games available on iOS, offering the capabilities to track challenges, achievements, and view leaderboards amongst peers.
However, this new update would transform it into something similar to the Xbox app on the iPhone, which centers on other gaming experiences like helping launch games directly from it. Instead of being merely an online social gaming service, it will reportedly be overhauled into a gaming hub that is exclusive for Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.
In other reports, it was revealed that Apple's Game Center revamp has been in the works for years now, with the company working on expanding the capabilities of the platform to improve the mobile gaming experiences for users. This may also help the mobile gaming subscription service from the company, Apple Arcade, which currently requires users to launch games separately like apps.
Additionally, the report came after Apple completed its acquisition of the two-person studio, RAC-7, which is best known for its work on "Sneaky Sasquatch," which is also one of the first games on Apple Arcade.
Xbox-like Gaming App for iPhones?
The Xbox app on iPhones is currently serving as an online gaming hub for users which not only offers a social network experience for gamers but also helps in launching games for the device. The service also leverages Xbox Cloud Gaming experiences for iPhones and helps bring Xbox titles directly to the device for subscribers.
In Apple's case, the revamped Game Center would reportedly feature a hub for all things gaming on Apple devices, including offering a library of downloaded games that users may launch right on the app. Apart from this, the revamped app would also feature editorial content for users to catch up on, as well as access to new titles on the App Store.
All of these remain unconfirmed by the Cupertino-based tech giant as of writing, but it has been reported that Apple will officially announce its plans in the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference or WWDC 2025.
