Apple is easing up on its App Store guidelines so that it’s now possible to “provide access to mini apps and games” within other apps.
While that may sound a bit confusing, it essentially means that a company like Microsoft can now release an iOS Xbox Game Pass app that supports Xbox Cloud Gaming and lets players stream multiple games right from that app. To use Xbox Cloud Gaming on an Apple device right now, you’d need to use the web browser version of the technology, which isn’t as convenient or stable as streaming from Xbox consoles or official PC and Android apps.
Before today, Apple had resisted allowing iOS apps to do this, much to the chagrin of companies like Epic Games and Microsoft. Apple says this change will also benefit in-app chatbots or plug-ins outside of gaming, which iOS previously didn’t allow, and that it made this change based on feedback from app developers.
Companies will now also be able to use Apple’s In-App Purchase system within these newly allowed in-app minigames, apps, and features, with Apple providing the example of a subscription to an individual chatbot within a broader app. All apps will still need to follow the App Store Review Guidelines, and they will get an age rating that matches the highest age-rated content available within the app.
These new rules apply to the app store starting today, so keep an eye on game-streaming services, as they may be getting native iOS apps in the future following this rule shift.
Imagine tapping a Zelda icon on your iPhone and jumping straight into Hyrule. A new open-source project called nxnative makes that possible by repackaging Switch games you’ve bought into apps for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no emulator in the middle.
Why does this run so well on Apple devices?
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”