Emulators are now on the App Store

The change in Apple's policy

This decision was welcomed by many retro gaming enthusiasts who had been waiting patiently for an official way to play their favorite games like Pokémon Emerald on iOS devices. Apple's new guidelines state that emulators must adhere to a set of requirements to be accepted on the App Store. These include:

Legitimate licensing

Emulators must only provide access to games for which the user has legal ownership or permission from the copyright holder. This ensures that emulators on the App Store are not facilitating piracy or copyright infringement.

No game downloads

Emulators are not allowed to provide access to copyrighted games directly within the app. Users must have their own ROM files and transfer them onto the emulator. This requirement further promotes legal usage of emulators and prevents unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material.

Stable and secure

Emulators must meet Apple's strict standards for stability, security, and performance. This is great news because many of the unofficial emulator apps we had to use in the past were buggy at best, and outright broken at worst.

With official emulators available on the App Store, users can now confidently embrace nostalgia without worrying about the legality or safety of their gaming experience.

Apple's previous stance on emulators

Apple's previous stance on emulators was rooted in concerns about copyright infringement and piracy. The company believed that allowing emulators on the App Store could potentially enable users to play pirated games for free, which would be a violation of intellectual property rights.

Apple's strict policy against emulators led to many retro gaming enthusiasts seeking alternative methods to play their favorite games on iOS devices. Most of us were jailbreaking our phones, a process that removes software restrictions imposed by Apple, in order to install emulators from third-party sources.

Apple clearly want to remove our incentive to continue hacking our phones, and allowing emulators is definintely a step in the right direction. But there could be trouble ahead.

Devs & Publishers vs Emulators

The impact of emulator apps on developers and game publishers is a topic that has sparked controversy and debate. On one hand, emulator apps can potentially increase exposure for older games that may have been forgotten or overlooked by current gamers. This can lead to renewed interest in these games and potentially generate additional revenue for developers and publishers through increased sales or downloads.

However, there is also the concern that emulator apps could cannibalize sales of remastered or re-released versions of older games. If users can easily access the original versions as well as unofficial mods through emulators, they may be less inclined to purchase and support official releases. This creates a potential conflict of interest between developers and emulator app creators.

To mitigate these concerns, some developers and game publishers have taken a proactive approach by officially releasing their own emulators or partnering with emulator app creators. This allows them to retain control over the distribution and monetization of their games, while also reaching a wider audience of retro gaming enthusiasts.

In some cases, developers may even release their games for free or at a reduced price on emulator platforms, as a way to generate interest and promote their brand. Win-win!

Author's Reflections

We're excited to see what the future holds for emulators on the App Store, but I don't think we're out of the woods yet. We should expect this new legalization to be heavily attacked by publishers and their copyright lawyers, especially if they start noticing a decline in revenue.

But for now, let's enjoy the nostalgia.