Filed under: Apple Corporate, Gaming, Software, Apple History
John Carmack: Working with Apple not always easy
Folklore.org is a tremendous repository of Apple history and lore. Check it out if you haven't; you'll find some entertaining and incredible stories. I'm reminded of Folklore whenever a story emerges describing Apple from behind the scenes, like this interview with id Software's co-founder John Carmack. Speaking with Kotaku, John describes the ups and downs of working with Apple:
"I'll be invited up on stage for a keynote one month and then I'll say something they don't like and I can be blacklisted for six months."
We suspect such a public revelation won't get you back on stage anytime soon, John. Or maybe not, as he's now got "a man on the inside." Former id coworker Graeme Devine now works at Apple's iPhone Game Technologies division. However, the most interesting part of this interview confirms, in a small way, what I've always suspected: Apple begrudgingly promotes the iPod touch and iPhone as gaming platforms.
"At the highest level of Apple, in their heart of hearts," Carmack said, "they're not proud of the iPhone being a game machine, they wish it was something else." I have no way of backing this up, but I've long suspected that Steve Jobs in particular has no interest in the world of gaming. They're certainly pushing the iPod touch as a gaming device, but I'm sure it's through tightly-clenched teeth.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yoshi1080 said 4:45PM on 11-09-2009
Thank God the App Store developers decided this one. Maybe one day the Mac will become a gaming platform too ...
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Jpwillis269 said 4:55PM on 11-09-2009
John, please play nice with Steve at least untill I get QUAKE 2 securely on my iPhone from the app store :-)
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Jpwillis269 said 4:59PM on 11-09-2009
Um QUAKE 4 would be nice too btw
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timepilot84 said 5:50PM on 11-09-2009
Um, you can't run games on an Apple product unless they're more than two years old. Steve doesn't abide.
Hawkman said 5:22PM on 11-09-2009
At least he's got a bit of a sense of humour about it. I guess you'd have to.
I'm sure Jobs is proud of the touch's *success* as a gaming machine, even if he wishes it was for something else.
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Tom Smale said 5:32PM on 11-09-2009
In my view, Carmack has long since secured his place as icon of the gaming industry. Inducted into my personal video game hall of fame, so to speak. But sometimes this guy just talks out of his ass. I don't know where his frustration comes from, but his remarks aren't specific. He speculates Apple isn't committed to gaming because Jobs' heart isn't in it? What does that even mean?
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??? said 8:18PM on 11-09-2009
That Jobs hates video games? Or is still bitter about Bungie's buy
Let's be real here, the Mac as a gaming platform has been utter bollocks. Gabe Newell of Valve has openly stated he would like to work with Apple, but there are several subject matters that Apple won't budge (Granted, Gabe was previously a M$ dev, and I'd like to know what he meant by that...but still). The vast majority of games nowadays are just PC games that have a Cider shell on top of them rather than developed natively (even Blizzard, long an Apple supporter, is moving to Cider). And Apple has offered no incentive for them to develop natively.
Either Jobs has taken the Sony approach (i.e., they don't see games as a quintessential element) to an extreme, or he hates video games.
??? said 8:20PM on 11-09-2009
Ah crap, didn't finish that second sentence. I meant "Or is he still bitter over Bungie being bought out by Microsoft?"
Granger said 9:15PM on 11-09-2009
@ ??? - Where did you read that Blizzard is moving to use Cider? I can't find anything stating such dire news, thankfully.
SaintStryfe said 3:36AM on 11-10-2009
Well I'd suggest Jobs isn't wrong. Gamers are fickle, demanding, and short-sighted. Not good customers at all. Just go to the World of Warcraft boards sometime and see the crying over minor changes - people canceling subscriptions and such over minor changes.
Gamers are a pain to deal with. Jobs is right not to cater to them.
Yoshi1080 said 10:11AM on 11-10-2009
@???: "Either Jobs has taken the Sony approach (i.e., they don't see games as a quintessential element) to an extreme, or he hates video games."
I am not sure if I understand what you mean. The Playstation brand is one of the most important core businesses for Sony.
??? said 11:57PM on 11-12-2009
@Yoshi1080: Ken Kutaragi (head of SCE) has made several comments stating that the Playstation is, upfront and center, a media center which just happens to play video games. He is disgusted whenever it is referred to as a game console.
Jobs may perhaps see the iPod touch under the same circumstances (as a media-player/mini all-in-one that can play video games, too), but rather unwillingly on the games part.
pika2000 said 8:47PM on 11-09-2009
Yeah, Apple marketing the iPod Touch as a gaming device didn't sound right to me either. I'm guessing it's a PR distraction from the production issues with the camera that supposed to go into the 3G Touch?
As for the Mac, isn't the problem that most games are using DirectX? The same issue is going on with Linux too. If game developers are using OpenGL, I would think porting their games to Mac/Linux wouldn't be so hard, would it?
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