One of the biggest video gaming companies ever has just affirmed its support for the new Apple TV, itself just revealed this week by Apple.
Activision wrote a blog post detailing the games it will bring Skylanders SuperChargers, Guitar Hero Live, and Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved to Apple TV, which shows a confidence in Apple’s ability to create yet another fantastic home for gaming as it did with iOS.
These aren’t casual like Crossy Road (though those types of games will do well on the big screen, too), but full console versions of popular titles.
Guitar Hero Live will come with its own Bluetooth-enabled plastic guitar controller, letting you play the rock star on the big screen via Apple TV. You’ll also be able to play the game on the go via your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. This is a game that hasn’t even come out yet for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, and older consoles, so having it as a launch-day game on Apple TV is quite the coup.
Photo: Activision
Skylanders SuperChargers will come with a Bluetooth-enabled portal, an embedded Bluetooth controller, and even a built-in stand. Progress in the game on your Apple TV will sync across all your iOS devices, too, making this value-add pretty compelling. If you’ve already got Skylanders Trap Team’s portal and controller, it will work with this new game as well. This is also a game available on console, providing feature parity with Apple’s upcoming set top box.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved released on PC and consoles last year, mobile devices this year. Activision promises to bring it to Apple TV and iPad Pro (!) this fall. It’s a fast-paced arcade-style shooter with neon colors and a revamped online coop mode so you can blast aliens with a buddy. Imagine playing it on your Apple TV, then switching over to your iPad and playing with Apple Pencil as a controller. Wow.
Sure, the Apple TV won’t have the horsepower of a gaming console like PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, but it won’t have to. With these kinds of games coming to the $169 Apple TV, the market of people who actually need to buy a dedicated gaming device just got smaller.
Rob LeFebvre is an Anchorage, Alaska-based writer and editor who has contributed to various tech, gaming and iOS sites, including 148Apps, Creative Screenwriting, Shelf-Awareness, VentureBeat, and Paste Magazine. Feel free to find Rob on Twitter @roblef, and send him a cookie once in a while; he’ll really appreciate it.
20 responses to “Activision commits to Apple TV with big console games”
How about HearthStone? Imagine two players in the same room, controlling decks with their iPhones, displayed up on AppleTV.
Welp, this may just stop me from buying the PS4…..
This is a great start.
Apple is going to make so much money.
This person does not know anything about games, so basically no big budget games….. 2 games that are casual or kiddie, so basically these gets the wii u treatment. These are not BIG console games at all, not in any way shape or form.
Well I have trouble imagining how you’d even store Destiny or CoD on it.
Guitar Hero has been a big console game for quite awhile. Shows how much you know about gaming.
Guitar Hero has been dead for a while, actually. But it can come back, maybe…
Doesn’t mean it’s not a big game. It’s made by Activision, not some random indie studio.
Destiny got an 18 gb upgrade last week. That’s a big game. Apple may well kill Nintendo with 500 Super Mario clones in the app store eventually, but it won’t play in the AAA league.
“Big” isn’t by the size of the game, you moron. Try again.
Oh look, you learned a bad word. How about Fallout 4, which will no doubt be over 40, maybe more than 50 gb in size. Do you see that going to the Apple TV anytime soon? Or will Fallout 4 not be a big game either?
Wow you’re an idiot. Keep trying, you’ll get it someday.
What a clever argument. Your most coherent so far.
Oh really? *back to playing MGSv: TPP , Witcher 3 , Mad Max, and battlefield 4*
Geometry wars 3 was already on iOS. Not really nothing new there. You can play it on your TV wirelessly now with an iOS device and Apple TV.
I do.
Other people. Nice job being a complete douchecanoe.
We Want COD Activision!
it would be interesting to see how a lot of these games run with the apple remote.
do some of these games work with just the remote, iOS devices as inputs or additional controllers?