Unreal updated its gaming engine for developers this week (May 11), where it now natively supports Apple silicon, such as the A15 Bionic and M2 Pro chips that you can find in iPads, Macs and iPhones.
An engine allows developers to create worlds and characters with pre-made tools that can eventually turn into a game that you can play on a console or Mac/PC. Epic Games’ Unreal Engine (opens in new tab) has been one of the most well-established engines for decades – starting with Unreal in 1998 and still to this day with the upcoming Tekken 8.
Developers have been able to use Unreal Engine on a Mac for a while, it’s been available under the Rosetta 2 feature (opens in new tab), which allows apps made for Intel Macs, to run on Apple silicon Macs under emulation.
However, with this 5.2 update (opens in new tab), the engine is now native, which means faster performance when editing levels and better compatibility, which could result in fewer crashes.
Curious timing
We’ve spoken in the past about how some fans have remade past games using Unreal Engine 5, but since its release in May 2021, there’s not been a game released that’s been powered by it.
It’s no surprise when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into making a multi-million dollar game. In the past with the SEGA Mega Drive, for instance, a game could take no more than a year – but for sprawling adventures like the recently-released Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it could take as long as seven years from conception to release.
But this is why the timing of this update is curious, with WWDC 2023 just a few weeks away. Being a developer conference, Apple wants to entice those interested in making apps and games with the latest updates, and possible new products it may be announcing there, such as its VR headset.
Showcasing Unreal Engine 5.2 at the keynote on June 5 would be a fantastic way for a third-party tool to be used on Apple devices. With Resident Evil Village releasing on the Mac and Apple Arcade constantly being updated with new games, it would be a great opportunity for all to see the engine be used to bring Mac gaming to the next level.
With Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro having been announced for iPad already, it’s already giving us the impression that this WWDC could be one of its biggest in recent years – and we’ll be covering everything that Apple announces from June 5.
Unreal updated its gaming engine for developers this week (May 11), where it now natively supports Apple silicon, such as the A15 Bionic and M2 Pro chips that you can find in iPads, Macs and iPhones.
An engine allows developers to create worlds and characters with pre-made tools that can eventually turn into a game that you can play on a console or Mac/PC. Epic Games’ Unreal Engine (opens in new tab) has been one of the most well-established engines for decades – starting with Unreal in 1998 and still to this day with the upcoming Tekken 8.
Developers have been able to use Unreal Engine on a Mac for a while, it’s been available under the Rosetta 2 feature (opens in new tab), which allows apps made for Intel Macs, to run on Apple silicon Macs under emulation.
However, with this 5.2 update (opens in new tab), the engine is now native, which means faster performance when editing levels and better compatibility, which could result in fewer crashes.
Curious timing
We’ve spoken in the past about how some fans have remade past games using Unreal Engine 5, but since its release in May 2021, there’s not been a game released that’s been powered by it.
It’s no surprise when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into making a multi-million dollar game. In the past with the SEGA Mega Drive, for instance, a game could take no more than a year – but for sprawling adventures like the recently-released Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it could take as long as seven years from conception to release.
But this is why the timing of this update is curious, with WWDC 2023 just a few weeks away. Being a developer conference, Apple wants to entice those interested in making apps and games with the latest updates, and possible new products it may be announcing there, such as its VR headset.
Showcasing Unreal Engine 5.2 at the keynote on June 5 would be a fantastic way for a third-party tool to be used on Apple devices. With Resident Evil Village releasing on the Mac and Apple Arcade constantly being updated with new games, it would be a great opportunity for all to see the engine be used to bring Mac gaming to the next level.
With Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro having been announced for iPad already, it’s already giving us the impression that this WWDC could be one of its biggest in recent years – and we’ll be covering everything that Apple announces from June 5.