Delta, the new retro games emulator on iOS, has taken the world by storm in the past week, amassing an impressive 4.4 million downloads on Apple’s App Store within its first week of availability.
App Magic data reveals that the US represents the emulator’s largest audience, accounting for 34% of week-one downloads. China follows closely behind with 18% of downloads, while Mexico, the UK, and Thailand make up the rest of the top five with 8%, 6%, and 4% respectively.
For Apple users in the EU, Delta can be downloaded from the new AltStore, an alternative app store available in those countries without the need for jailbreaking.
In reality, the number of players currently enjoying Delta could be significantly higher than the reported 4.4 million downloads, and this is only within its first week of availability.
Opening the Floodgates
Following the introduction of the DMA and the appearance of the Altstore alternative app store, with Delta as its key attraction, Apple lifted its ban on retro emulators earlier this month. This paved the way for a standalone Delta launch, which quickly skyrocketed to the top of the Apple App Store’s charts. The app’s success comes as no surprise, given its offering of free access to a wide range of Nintendo games.
Delta has been a source of celebration for Nintendo fans, especially following the recent official shutdown of Nintendo’s 3DS online services just a week before.
It’s important to note that Delta does not provide iOS users with ROMs of retro Nintendo games, as that would be illegal. Instead, it has been designed specifically for emulating Nintendo handheld and home consoles. This allows fans to sideload and play games if they can source the game files.
Currently, Delta supports titles from NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and the original DS. It even offers multiplayer capabilities, enabling players to engage in battles reminiscent of the 90s in games like Pokémon Red and Blue, all on their sleek iPhones.
Nintendo’s Mobile Expansion? (Nintendo not included)
It must be emphasized that Delta is not affiliated with Nintendo, and the company is likely unhappy with its debut and success on iOS. Just last month, Nintendo took down popular Switch and 3DS emulators Yuzu and Citra and sued their developers, despite the lack of ROMs being provided.
Now, there are millions more people playing Nintendo games for free, thanks to the App Store policy change, and an undisclosed number through the AltStore in the EU due to the DMA’s ruling.
The DMA’s stipulation has facilitated sideloading for Apple users, making it easier than ever to inject illegal ROMs into Delta without the need for complex sign-ups like Altserver. These recent policy changes have created the perfect environment for resurrecting Nintendo classics, whether Nintendo approves or not.
It’s difficult to imagine that this is what the EU intended when devising the DMA, and with Apple now adhering to its rules at Nintendo’s expense, the potential consequences of their interpretation of the DMA could escalate significantly.
