In an unusual move, Apple is directly integrating support for its visionOS platform into the Godot open-source game engine. This step broadens the toolkit available to developers creating content for Apple’s headset.
Much like the well-known Unity and Unreal engines, Godot offers a suite of development tools designed to simplify the creation of real-time games and applications. However, what sets Godot apart is its open-source nature, allowing anyone to utilize the engine and distribute games without cost. Developers can also add their own features and fixes to the engine, benefiting the entire community.
With this move, Apple is making it feasible for developers to build and release Vision Pro content via Godot. Apple software engineer Ricardo Sanchez-Saez recently unveiled the company’s initiative to bring visionOS support to Godot as part of an open-source effort. The upgrade will happen in two phases: initially enabling Godot games to operate in flat windows on visionOS, followed by the capability to create fully immersive visionOS applications.
Given the open-source development process, Apple’s contributions will take time to integrate into the main version of Godot, and a specific timeline for project completion hasn’t been established.
Once the updates are complete, Godot will join other platforms like Unity, Unreal Engine, as well as Apple’s X-code and Reality Composer Pro, providing developers with diverse options for crafting applications for Vision Pro. Additionally, Godot remains a viable tool for developing apps for key VR platforms like Quest and PC VR.
