Feral Interactive game holder for Mac since 1996. With Apple’s transition from Intel silicon processors Apple across the Mac lineup now nearly complete, MacRumors asked the publisher and developer how he thinks the Mac s gaming landscapehas changed over the years and what its future will be.
Excited opportunities for the future of Mac games, Feral says
The company stated:
The changes have been cyclical, but bringing games to the Mac platform during this time has had its challenges. Apple’s shift from PPC to Intel, from 32-bit to 64-bit, and more recently from Intel to Apple Silicon – all of these required substantial periods of transition and work.
However, in any case, they have facilitated a situation where better games could be ported to the Mac. What has remained constant is that there is a community of Mac users who want to play games on their computers. There is an audience for good games that are well optimized for the platform.
This doesn’t mean Mac gamers haven’t heard perpetually frustrated for the apparent Apple’s lack of interest in the Mac as a gaming device. As many Mac gaming fans will know, Apple has historically hindered the graphics power of the Mac using integrated graphics Intel e le GPU designed for mobile in its laptops and all-in-one desktop machines.
For this reason, Feral states that aside from their interest in a game, the license negotiations and the proven success of a given IPthe other big variable he has always had to consider when carrying a triple title A is how demanding a game is – and if a Mac can handle it. Feral continued:
The problem is that AAA games often push the limits of hardware. We therefore need to be sure that we can make a game work well on a wide range of devices, often going back several years. However, the current transition to Apple silicon opens up some interesting opportunities. Compared to the previous generation of Intel-based Macs, it offers a big step forward in terms of power; for games this translates into better performance and higher graphics fidelity.
This allows us to look in the direction of more demanding games, as we believe they can run on a wide range of Macs.
Feral has already released two native games on Apple Silicon (Total War: Rome Remastered and Total War: Warhammer III). While Apple Silicon-exclusive development will depend on various factors, Feral says the combination of Apple Silicon’s power and a modern graphics API in Metal has improved the situation.
The company promises that will continue to support Intel Macs “As long as it is technically possible and commercially feasible”. However, he understands the importance of continuing to support the owners of old devices “With increasingly demanding games”. To conclude, Feral stated:
We are thrilled with its renewed ability as a gaming platform [dei Mac al silicio]. We intend to stay focused on bringing great games to the platform, making them run smoothly and supporting them for a long time