Feral Interactive has been converting PC and console games to the Mac since 1996, garnering a reputation for exceptionally accurate and high-quality adaptations. MacRumors asked the publisher and developer how the Mac gaming scene has altered in the intervening years and where it might be headed now that Apple’s move from Intel CPUs to Apple silicon is nearly complete.
Word from Feral
Feral admits: “The changes have been cyclical, but bringing games to the Mac platform over that time has had its challenges. Apple’s move from PPC to Intel, 32-bit to 64-bit, and, most recently, Intel to Apple silicon. “
” All of these required transitional periods and substantial work, but in each case, they facilitated a situation in which better games could be brought to Mac. What has remained constant is that there is a community of Mac users who want to play games on their computers. There’s an audience for good games that are well optimized for the platform.”
Future of Mac Gaming
In general, Mac gamers haven’t been enraged by Apple’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for the Mac as a gaming system. Apple has typically hampered Mac’s graphics capacity by using integrated Intel graphics and designed-for-mobile GPUs in its laptops and all-in-one desktop PCs, as many Mac gaming aficionados will know.
As a result, aside from their interest in a game, license talks, and the proven success of a given IP, Feral says the other key element it has always had to consider when converting a triple-A title is how demanding a game is – and whether or not a Mac can handle it.
According to Feral, nearly all of Apple’s most popular devices, particularly their entry-level laptops, used Intel Integrated Graphics before Apple silicon. That was an issue. They had to spend a significant portion of their long development cycles tweaking games to ensure that they worked as smoothly as possible on devices that weren’t developed or intended for gaming.
Feral has stated that it would offer Intel Macs for as long as it is technically and commercially feasible. However, while it recognizes the need of continuing to support owners of older computers as games become more demanding, it is already seeing the end of support for Macs with Intel CPUs approaching.
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