Apple to Integrate visionOS Support into Open-source Game Engine, Broadening Development Opportunities

In an unexpected but exciting development, Apple is stepping forward to integrate its visionOS platform into the Godot open-source game engine. This move broadens the toolkit available to developers interested in creating content for Apple’s headset.

Godot, much like the popular Unity and Unreal engines, provides a suite of development tools that simplify the process of crafting real-time games and applications. However, unlike its counterparts, Godot is entirely open-source, allowing anyone to use the engine and distribute games for free. This open nature also lets developers contribute enhancements and bug fixes for everyone’s benefit.

In a notable initiative, Apple is introducing visionOS support directly into Godot. This allows developers to utilize the engine to create and distribute content specifically for Vision Pro.

Apple’s software engineer, Ricardo Sanchez-Saez, recently announced plans to incorporate visionOS support into Godot as an open-source project. This feature will roll out in two phases: the first will enable games built with Godot to run on flat windows within visionOS, while the second phase will offer tools for crafting fully immersive apps on the platform.

As with any open-source endeavor, integrating Apple’s contributions into the main Godot engine will take some time, and a precise timeline for project completion hasn’t been set.

Once complete, Godot will join the ranks of Unity, Unreal Engine, and Apple’s own development tools like Xcode and Reality Composer Pro, offering developers a diverse range of options for creating Vision Pro applications. Additionally, Godot remains a versatile choice for building apps compatible with major VR platforms such as Quest and PC VR.