New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming strategy, future of Apple

Carson Oliver, Apple's new head of App Store Worldwide, discussed gaming in an email interview with Polygon, covered in 9to5Mac's report by Marcus Mendes at 3:14 pm PT on Oct. 19, 2026. Early last week, shortly after his promotion to vice president of the App Store was reported, Apple announced Indie Games Week, seven new and upcoming games for iPhone and iPad: Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, No Man's Sky, Little Kitty, Big City, 9 Kings, Dome Keeper, and Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall.

This piece covers Oliver's remarks on premium releases, Indie Games Week, Apple's graphics and porting tools, and Apple Arcade beside a paid download. It is for iPhone and iPad players following the showcase, and for developers choosing a business model. He named Balatro as a game that can thrive as a premium download and also find a home as part of the Apple Arcade service.

New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming: what actually changed

Oliver told Polygon more premium games are releasing this year than last. "We've seen incredible growth of games coming to the App Store, in general, with more premium games releasing on the App Store this year than last." Many of those games are indies, he said, and more console and PC franchises are coming to mobile "as it is a burgeoning audience for those games." Apple announced Indie Games Week early last week, shortly after his promotion to vice president of the App Store was reported.

"These seven games featured in Indie Games Week capture where gaming on iPhone and iPad is heading: incredible diversity and creativity with no compromises on quality," Oliver told Polygon. The seven are Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, No Man's Sky, Little Kitty, Big City, 9 Kings, Dome Keeper, and Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall. Over the years Apple has repeatedly tried to attract major game developers and convince players to take gaming on its devices more seriously, with varying degrees of success.

New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming: how it works

Apple has already highlighted this graphics and porting work at WWDC keynotes and product announcements. The company has introduced hardware-accelerated ray tracing, made significant improvements to its Metal graphics framework, and developed tools that make it easier to port PC and console games to its platforms. Oliver touched on those technical improvements in the Polygon email interview. An entire generation of players, he said, grew up with an iPhone as their first gaming device, rather than a traditional console or PC.

"These users embrace direct touch as their primary controller, making iPhone and iPad the ultimate canvas for indie innovation," Oliver told Polygon. On the business model, he said: "We want to give developers a trusted place to reach users around the world, support them at each stage, and help them build successful businesses." Flexible business model options are the method he named. Balatro, which he called a breakthrough phenomenon, can thrive as a premium download and can also find a home as part of the Apple Arcade service.

New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming: why it matters now

The Polygon email interview came after Oliver's promotion to vice president of the App Store was reported and after Apple announced Indie Games Week early last week. He described gaming on the App Store with a year-over-year comparison: more premium games releasing this year than last. Many are indies. Console and PC franchises are arriving too, for what he called a burgeoning audience. Those seven Indie Games Week titles, he said, show diversity and creativity with no compromises on quality.

Apple, he said, wants to give developers a trusted place to reach users around the world, support them at each stage, and help them build successful businesses. "To achieve that goal, we provide developers with flexible business model options." He said a breakthrough phenomenon like Balatro can thrive as a premium download, and it can also find a home as part of the Apple Arcade service. "The important thing is that we give developers the flexibility to make the best choice for every game and players the freedom to play how they want."

New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming: who is affected

An entire generation of players grew up with an iPhone as their first gaming device, rather than a traditional console or PC. Oliver said they embrace direct touch as their primary controller, and he called iPhone and iPad the ultimate canvas for indie innovation. Apple highlighted seven new and upcoming Indie Games Week games for that iPhone and iPad audience. He said those titles capture incredible diversity and creativity with no compromises on quality, and that this is where gaming on the two devices is heading.

Indie teams and console and PC franchise owners are the two groups he named. Many premium games on the App Store this year are indies, and this year has more premium releases than last year. Franchises are coming because mobile is a burgeoning audience for those games. Balatro can thrive as a premium download and can also find a home as part of the Apple Arcade service. Oliver said Apple wants to support developers at each stage as they build successful businesses and reach users around the world.

New App Store chief discusses Apple’s gaming: what to watch

Indie Games Week's seven new and upcoming games are the slate Oliver named for iPhone and iPad: Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, No Man's Sky, Little Kitty, Big City, 9 Kings, Dome Keeper, and Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall. He said they capture incredible diversity and creativity with no compromises on quality. More premium games are releasing on the App Store this year than last, many of them indies, and more console and PC franchises are coming to mobile for a burgeoning audience.

Balatro is the example Oliver gave Polygon. It can thrive as a premium download and can also find a home as part of the Apple Arcade service, through flexible business model options. Developers should make the best choice for every game, and players should have the freedom to play how they want, he said. Hardware-accelerated ray tracing, improvements to the Metal graphics framework, and tools for porting PC and console games are what Apple has shown at WWDC keynotes and product announcements. Direct touch is this generation's primary controller.