Two weeks ago, Apple changed the rules for its App Store, allowing video game emulators to be downloaded to an iPhone or an iPad. This new ruling is one of the most intriguing decisions I’ve seen from Apple in recent years. So, let’s dive into what happened, what it means, and how players in the mobile world may react. But first, what are we talking about?
OOTL1: What is an Emulator?
An emulator is a software that allows hardware to operate as a different hardware. In this case, it will enable an iPhone to run the software like an old Nintendo Console.
What does this look like?
Layouts vary depending on the hardware you are using to run the emulator.
The real question you are probably asking is how something like this can be legal. The answer is that the emulator isn’t illegal per se, but ROMs are. There are games available for emulators that are original and free to play. Most people are playing ROMs from old 90s-00s games, which are illegal.
Why isn’t anyone making sure that people don’t play pirated games?
Websites that share ROMs rarely receive lawsuits2. When I heard this for the first time, I was surprised. This feels like Kazaa and Limewire in the early 2000s; why wouldn’t Nintendo and other companies get their money’s worth of products they created less than 20 years ago?
The reason is that it’s not worth it for these companies. They can’t sue Delta’s developers because what they do is not illegal, and they could go the legal route with websites that host ROMs, but it’s not profitable. The games offered for emulators have been off the shelves for decades; the only profitable aspect of this system is people selling the original used versions, which are hard to get, and developers and Nintendo can’t make a profit as owners of the sold product are final users.3Prices in the used market are high because of the lack of supply (discontinued games).
So, could Nintendo/Game Developers sue?
Yes, but for some, that’s not even their best decision. The earnings they could get from a lawsuit or selling these games again for the original platforms are probably considered negligible for them.
However, one negative thing about using this software is that emulator controls are clunky and don’t have the same great feel as the original consoles. Yes, you can connect a PS5/Xbox controller and play with it, but is it justified to play on a small screen with a 16-bit graphic? It seems to be too much effort, but to each their own. So, product experience is indeed down.
Then, why? It helps the still-existing game developers who had some of the greatest hits of these old consoles. For Nintendo's games, they’ve already milked some of that nostalgia profit with their re-release of the SNES. If you are Square-Enix4, maybe people playing Final Fantasy 6 in a Game Boy Advanced emulator may bring in some sales for the next Final Fantasy installment, and if that is more than what a lawsuit could bring, that’s the way to go.
Why is Apple allowing Delta (and other emulators on the App Store)?
As I poured more thought into emulators, I found that Apple is one of the most surprising actors in this saga.
Fear of lawsuits for facilitating piracy in the iPhone system seems reason enough to avoid taking on emulators. However, in this case, Apple is inviting more competition.
A small caveat: in an increasingly competing world for Tech, only one thing is minimal on the user side: Minutes awake and on the phone. This makes competition for Apple in social media (X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.), news websites, email, and other websites/apps. In this case, Apple competes directly in the mobile gaming category with its own Apple Arcade. Why let tens of AAA quality games that fuel nostalgia from millennials be available on your platform for (basically) free?
I would love to see the numbers on Apple Arcade minutes; I could bet that they saw usage for their games drop as Delta was allowed in the App Store. These numbers may stabilize in the next couple of weeks as the trend decreases, but I do not think that people working on Apple Arcade are happy with the decision to allow emulators in the App Store.
A theory is that Apple wanted to bring some of these classics to the App Store but still needs to receive Nintendo's support. Maybe Nintendo did not want to compromise on using a touch button as a controller, or they had their plans (pushing them exclusively on the Switch).
The future of mobile gaming
Games are a vital technology driver; it’s not rare that some key innovations occur first in video games. Could this be the initial start of an Apple that welcomes more competition inside its system? Or is this just an attack on Nintendo after trying to negotiate with Apple to bring these nostalgia games themselves? Will Nintendo create an emulator for the iPhone to cash in on their old games?
It’s exciting to think how these actors will react to these changes. We may end up seeing more of the actors in the gaming market try to cash in on nostalgia, and we can maybe see the end of bad-quality cheap spin-offs of games in the App Store (with even crappier ads).
Cool applications on Emulators
One of my favorite videos I shared with the Tech Club Newsletter in Business School is an AI trained on Pokemon. It helped me understand how Machine Learning works and how to make it work in a familiar setting.
To program this, he used an emulator and programmed ways for the “player” to navigate and learn from experience.
Ironing Out
On more of a personal note, classes have ended, and graduation for my program is around the corner. I may be taking a bit longer to bring out the next edition.
Listening to: I started an Audiobook called “The Anxious Generation” after Sacks recommended it in the All-In podcast. The author, Jonathan Haidt, assigns causality for the mental health crisis to the introduction of smartphones and social media around 2010.
Reading: I finished the excellent biographical novel of Michelangelo, “The Agony and the Ecstasy,” and I’m going through “The Everything Token,” which I should finish in the next few days.
Out of the loop
I am not a lawyer, so do not take anything here as legal advice.
Blockchain could solve this in the future; more on that in a future post.
Developer of Final Fantasy games.