I fear for the VisionOS developer ecosystem.
The Apple Vision Pro relies on new immersive apps for its success.
But Apple partners with Unity, so developers access VisionOS tools directly within Unity.
This is a big deal to me because:
- Developers hate Unity. Unity raised prices to force developers pay per game install (even retroactively). Due to intense backlash, Unity walked back this change. Still, many game devs swear to abandon the game engine for all new development.
You'd think Apple would partner with the other big game engine, Unreal, to keep developers happy.
- Epic makes Unreal (and Fortnite). Epic and Apple are NOT friends.
Epic and Apple have been feuding in lawsuits since 2020. Epic doesn't want to pay Apple's 30% platform fee for every transaction on Fortnite mobile. Epic thinks Apple is a monopoly while outright ignoring Apple's terms of service.
Epic's animosity towards Apple puts Apple in a tough spot.
Apple is not going to give up the 30% platform fee to Epic. It'd completely break their revenue share from all iOS apps.
Instead Apple teams up with Unity, who the entire gaming community despises.
I don't see game developers willingly working with Unity after the stunt the company pulled.
I have serious questions about the development ecosystem for VisionOS and VR.
Apple Vision Pro was cool, but it's nothing without more apps. It's a platform. It needs developers to bring it to life.
Apple does incentivize new development if it's asking developers to work with Unity.
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