In a tweak to iTunes Connect, Apple is allowing app developers to view and manage the top 100 scores on Game Center leaderboards attached to their iOS games, dissuading users from posting fake scores.
With the new iTunes Connect functionality, Apple is hoping to bring more balance to its Game Center multiplayer app and service. Developers can delete scores they believe are fake, granting users who play by the rules a better gaming experience.
According to Apple's announcement, spotted by TouchArcade, developers can both delete fake scores and block players who post those scores to global leaderboards. Previously, only Apple was able to make those changes.
Many top games on the iOS App Store have leaderboards filled with "cheaters" who falsify their in-game score to achieve high rankings, undermining one of the main functions of Game Center. For some titles, especially those which display a limited number of top players, leaderboards are rendered unusable.
Apple's Game Center was first introduced in 2010 as the company's answer to a growing iOS gaming community. In an attempt to introduce a social element to the numerous titles available, as well as facilitate multiplayer match-ups for supported games, Apple made the Game Center service available to developers. Aside from matchmaking, the centralized service allows for asynchronous competition via online leaderboards, friend requests and achievement tracking.