Following a four-year stint at Valve, Xbox co-creator Nat Brown has now taken on a role at Apple, announcing his new position on Twitter.

Brown said that he has an obsession with platform ecosystems and systems engineering, and he's looking forward to continuing his work in these areas at Apple. Brown says that he will be "focusing on all applications of graphics" and working with developers using graphics on Apple platforms.

originalxbox
Prior to joining Apple, Brown was working as a VR engineer on Valve's VR team, but Valve laid off its VR team earlier this year. Before he was at Valve, Brown was one of the first engineers to join the Xbox project back in 1999.


Back in 2013, Brown shared a blog post arguing that the Apple TV had the potential to destroy console gaming thanks to its support of third-party apps. Microsoft and other gaming platforms now support indie games, but at the time, Brown argued that Apple could have killed the Playstation and the Xbox by introducing a game ecosystem for the ‌Apple TV‌. From Brown's 2013 blog post:

Apple, if it chooses to do so, will simply kill Playstation, Wii-U and xBox by introducing an open 30%-cut app/game ecosystem for Apple-TV. I already make a lot of money on iOS - I will be the first to write apps for Apple-TV when I can, and I know I'll make money. I would for xBox if I could and I knew I would make money. Maybe a "console-capable" Apple-TV isn't $99, maybe it's $199, and add another $79 for a controller.

Apple did not do so in 2013, but later did open up the ‌Apple TV‌ to apps and games with a dedicated ‌Apple TV‌ App Store. Unfortunately, the ‌Apple TV‌ ‌App Store‌ hasn't exactly been a console killer.

It's not clear what specific graphics applications Brown will be working on at Apple, and it's not known if he will be joining Apple's rumored AR/VR team.

Top Rated Comments

Saipher Avatar
81 months ago
Back in 2013, Brown shared a blog post ('https://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/13/xbox-founding-engineer-says-apple-tv-could-destroy-console-gaming-with-third-party-apps/') arguing that the Apple TV had the potential to destroy console gaming thanks to its support of third-party apps.
I still believe the ATV can be a great gaming platform, rival to the other major players in this industry. Here is hope that Brown’s hire is an indication that Apple might actually follow that path.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bswails Avatar
81 months ago
I still believe the ATV can be a great gaming platform, rival to the other major players in this industry. Here is hope that Brown’s hire is an indication that Apple might actually follow that path.
I agree if Apple wants to get serious about gaming. You gotta hire serious people. Google Stadia is a good start with its intentions. I would love to only have an Apple TV and choice of comfortable controllers for gaming..but it’s gotta be more than big screen phone games
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ButteryScrollin Avatar
81 months ago
I still believe the ATV can be a great gaming platform, rival to the other major players in this industry. Here is hope that Brown’s hire is an indication that Apple might actually follow that path.
Agree. Apple really dropped the ball on controller support when tvOS came out as well as other areas. Maybe Apple Arcade + support for PS4/xbox controller support will help push it in that direction.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NickName99 Avatar
81 months ago
AppleTV has tons of potential, good performance, better support for gaming controllers, but none of the game franchises people are into are there. It seems like Apple may need to reach out to some game studios to get some AAA titles ported in; it may even take an initial investment to take the gaming ecosystem to the next level. Apple could offer some incentives or even just throw money at them. They could afford it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
v0lume4 Avatar
81 months ago
Alright boys, let's go!

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ShinySteelRobot Avatar
81 months ago
Apple: We're bringing games and other apps to the Apple TV by introducing the Apple TV App Store!
Hundreds of thousands of iOS game developers: YAY! Let's get started writing games for Apple TV!!
Apple: And you're required to use our stupid little remote control as a supported game controller in every game!
Hundreds of thousands of iOS game developers: (in unison) Uhhh.. Hard pass. Forget what I said earlier...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Update for iPhones Coming Soon — Here's What to Expect

Thursday September 25, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. MacRumors has also seen evidence of iOS 26.0.1 in its visitor logs in recent days. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...