Apple made a policy change on Monday that will likely please a number of tvOS game developers. The company has dropped the requirement that Apple TV games be playable using the Siri Remote as a controller.
Discovered by Stuart Carnie, the policy change was discovered in an existing Apple TV developer support document. While no longer requiring the Siri Remote, Apple still strongly recommends developers continue to make the option available to players.
The document now reads:
“When designing a tvOS game, you may require the use of an MFi game controller, but where possible you should also support the Siri Remote.”
The Siri Remote requirement for games has been a bone of contention between Apple and developers since soon after the release of the fourth-generation Apple TV. Apple initially just encouraged devs to include Siri Remote support for game, but then cracked down and required the support for game approval in the tvOS App Store.
Developers complained requiring the Siri Remote for games caused problems in developing complex games that required more buttons and more precise controls than the Remote offered.
The change offers two sides of a coin. While no longer requiring Siri Remote compatibility for tvOS games will allow more complex, console-like games to come to the platform, it will also require Apple TV owners to purchase a somewhat expensive MFi game controller in order to play those new games.
All-in-all, MacTrast sees this as a good move on Apple’s part – if they stick to their guns – as it will allow deeper and more complex games to be developed for the platform.
