Apple has joined the advisory board of The Game Awards, which makes sense as the iPhone App Store is a dominant force in the world's gaming market.

The Game Awards are the industry's equivalent of the Oscars for interactive entertainment, and is advised by many major companies in the field. Apple now counts as one of its advisors.

In a change to the website for The Game Awards, spotted by VGC, Apple is now listed as one of its Advisory Board. The aim of the board is to help "guide and advance the mission of the Game Awards."

Apple is listed alongside a roster of companies including Activision, AMD, Epic Games, EA, Kojima Productions, Microsoft, Nintendo, Riot, Rockstar, Sony, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Valve. While occupying a spot on the board, Apple won't have an influence on the selection of award nominees or winners of the annual awards.

The ceremony is a major gaming event, with the 2024 show breaking records with an estimated 154 million livestreams. The 2025 event will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California on December 11.

A bigger gaming push

Apple's addition to the board makes sense, considering how it is a dominant player in mobile gaming via the App Store. The list already includes platform-holders, with Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Valve, and Epic owning their own digital storefronts for games.

The appointment also means a greater involvement in gaming in general for Apple, a company that has made more of an effort to do so in recent years.

This has included the establishment of Apple Arcade, as well as the acquisition of Sneaky Sasquatch developer RAC7 in May. It has also managed to attract major titles to the Mac and iPhone, thanks to tools such as Game Porting Toolkit.

As for The Game Awards, the 2024 event was a banner year for Mac gaming, with awards being won by multiple titles available for Apple's ecosystem. Poker-based roguelike Balatro, which is available on Apple Arcade, was a prominent winner for the year, securing best independent game and best debut indie game gongs as well as being in the running for Game of the Year.