Hello patient Apple TV gamers, it’s been a while. September 12 seems like another era, but here we are, back in the bunker.

Time has been short, and as I’ve lamented in the last couple of months, real life has not been conducive to writing about gaming. But if all continues to go according to plan, that should change right about…now.

ATVG has settled into an all new bunker – cords have been plugged in, internet has been connected, updates have been downloaded, schedules have been cleared, and games have been released. All of this adds up to the fact that there are things we need to talk about.

And in the world of gaming – yes, even Apple TV gaming – there are always things to talk about.

So what’s on the agenda?

Games of course. Also: Is Apple TV gaming dead? Is it dying?

In ATVG’s humble opinion, the short answer is no. Gaming is not Apple TV’s primary function, and that folks, is kind of what makes it indestructible. It’s a little like a super power.

Oh, and what about Mojave’s Dark Mode? Nice.

Hit the continue button. Now.

Mobile gaming site Toucharcade posted an opinion piece this week about the death of Apple TV gaming. And it’s a fair comment.

The article built its opinion around the fact that studio Mojang is discontinuing support for Minecraft on the Apple TV platform. The loss of Minecraft is a big hit for ATV gaming, and would likely signal the death knell for hardware that counted gaming as its sole reason for existing. For Apple TV however, gaming is a secondary function.

With Apple’s plans to enter the TV arena, it’s clear that Apple TV hardware isn’t going anywhere. In fact, I wouldn’t mind betting that given the names and weight behind some of the upcoming productions, a lot more Apple TV boxes will end up in a lot more households. Anything that makes Apple TV a more familiar household name will no doubt have a positive residual roll-on effect for Apple TV gaming, as there will be more incentive for studios to produce games for the platform.

Beyond that, now is a great time to release a quality gaming title for the Apple TV platform, as there is currently an opportunity to be a big fish in a small pond.

“I’m glad I ported Ammo Pigs to Apple TV — my first game on the platform. In the past week, 82% of sales are from tvOS,” Chris Jorgensen of Cascadia Games posted this week on Twitter.

Ammo Pigs is a fun action-platform game that ATVG has finally gotten around to spending some quality time with recently, and I’ll be posting an in-depth look at it soon (promise!).

“It’s not a lot of money, but it makes the drop-off from an iOS feature ending not so steep. Also, the conversion rate is about 2X better on AppleTV vs iPhone,” Jorgensen went on to say.

Interesting.

Later this month Rain Games will be releasing Teslagrad to the Apple TV platform, which is also currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Another former PlayStation Plus alumni, Teslagrad definitely deserves some attention, and hopefully the Apple TV version will do this lovely game justice. ATVG will have a closer look soon.

Shadowgun Legends recently added weekly events to its constantly expanding sci-fi shooter, and there is some tasty looking armour up for grabs this week. All you have to do is shoot the unarmed creeps that populate every mission and mode the game has to offer. It’s okay because they attacked you first. Really, it’s okay. Go ahead. Shoot to kill.

Legendo is continuing its work on Draugablíkk and the Dracula Twins reboot, so of course ATVG will continue to follow the progress of those upcoming titles.

Speaking of Legendo, Reader Rabbit: Jump Smarter released not long ago, and you can check out ATVG’s pre-release impressions right here.

Also, Hovercraft: Battle Arena is lot of fun, and ATVG will post more on this soon. Blocky graphics and more-ish gameplay adds up to a good time.

As I said in the intro, we have a lot to talk about, so I’ll wrap up this bunker post and get cracking. Writing about games means playing games, so there is work to be done.

If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games Of 2017 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Enjoy.