Apple has dismissed a number of cloud gaming remedy proposals outlined by the UK Competition and Markets Authority as "unreasonable" and misguided, arguing that its policy on game streaming apps is already plenty inclusive. The CMA's suggestions were published as part of an ongoing probe that started back in November with the goal of determining the ease of offering cloud gaming services on iOS devices.
The CMA's probe of game streaming restrictions on iOS has recently yielded a list of proposals to make the platform more inclusive of cloud gaming solutions. Arguably the most ambitious suggestion of the lot was for Apple to allow side-loading of native iOS apps on its devices, in addition to distributing Progressive Web Apps via the App Store. Right now, the only way to run a PWA on an iPhone or iPad is to enable an advanced JavaScript feature under Safari settings, open the target app in the browser, and tap the "Add to Home Screen" option from the Share menu.
Apple labeled the CMA's proposals as "plainly inappropriate" in a newly published response to the regulator, arguing that it is already "encouraging" game streaming apps on its platform. The company's representatives from legal firm Gibson Dunn said the remedies were clearly aimed at "wider concerns" outlined in the previously commissioned Mobile Ecosystem Market Study and not cloud gaming, in particular. Since the CMA already proposed exploring alternative responses to those findings, the current onus of making mobile cloud gaming more inclusive should not be on Apple, its attorneys concluded. The CMA previously suggested delegating the majority of mobile cloud gaming regulation to the crown's recently established Digital Markets Unit.
Regardless of Apple's stated intent behind its mobile policies, the fact remains that iOS is a firmly walled ecosystem which isn't easy to navigate for cloud gaming providers. That state of affairs was a big part of the reason behind the EU's recent decision to force Apple into opening iOS to third-party app stores in the near future. As for its ongoing back-and-forth with the British regulators, the CMA previously committed to wrapping up its cloud gaming-focused probe of iOS by May 2024.
When it comes to game streaming solutions on iOS, the central issue is that even though Apple allows such apps, its App Store publishing process mandates individual reviews of each supported title. This makes launching comprehensive catalogs of streamable games impractical at best and impossible at worst. In a late 2022 filing with the CMA, Microsoft said it's building its own mobile gaming store in large part because it wanted to side-step those requirements.
Apple made some notable forays into gaming in recent years, most notably in the form of its ever-growing Apple Arcade subscription service. However, the company has yet to give any indication that it intends to directly compete with game streaming platforms such as Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Source: Gibson Dunn / CMA