The new Delta game emulator is making waves in the App Store after Apple relaxed its rules. According to data from Appfigures sent to PocketGamer.biz, it has quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot for downloads in 35 countries.
Apple recently updated its App Review guidelines to allow retro console emulators to offer game downloads. These apps are now required to comply with all applicable laws and privacy guidelines, among other regulations.
Delta, the successor to GBA4iOS, launched on April 17th and became the first high-profile emulator to support game systems like Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo DS.
The app boasts features such as console controller support, save and load states, cheat codes, and multiplayer capabilities for NES, SNES, and N64 games.
Chart-Topping Success
By April 18th, Delta had secured the top spot as the most downloaded App Store app in 13 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, and Taiwan. It was also among the top 10 downloads in 35 countries, including Japan and South Korea.
As of April 19th, Delta had reached the top of the App Store download rankings in 35 countries, with significant success in regions like the UK, US, Australia, Canada, and more. It had also entered the top 10 in 66 countries.
In addition to the App Store, Delta is available on the newly launched AltStore PAL, an Apple-approved app marketplace in the EU. AltStore PAL offers downloads on iOS devices and debuted with Delta and Clip, a clipboard manager.
“This has been a personal dream of mine since I started building emulators for iOS over a decade ago, and is what my co-founder Shane Gill and I have been working towards since launching AltStore almost five years ago,” said Riley Testut, co-founder and developer of AltStore.
Core Technology Fee
With the adoption of Apple’s EU policies for alternative payments and distribution, the developer behind Delta and AltStore Pal must pay the Core Technology Fee, which amounts to €0.50 per download annually. Although this fee is only incurred after surpassing one million installs for apps, app marketplaces are subject to it from the beginning.
To cover the fee and payment processing charges, AltStore PAL users are charged €1.50 per year. However, the Delta app is currently available for free download on the App Store.
