Hi,
Can Apple provide some reassurance on the continued support for SpriteKit in the coming years?
At WWDC 2025, Apple deprecated SceneKit, which was alarming for a SpriteKit fan and user. I'm aware Apple doesn't comment on future plans. However, committing to a specific framework for larger projects is a significant investment in time (and money). Developers need to know whether to continue investing in proprietary technology that could be deprecated at any time. Some reassurance regarding SpriteKit's future would go a long way.
I have moved my project from SpriteKit to RealityKit. RealityKit is certainly interesting, but I'd gladly switch back to SpriteKit.
SpriteKit has things going for it that no other Apple framework provides:
- Live drawing of shapes, paths, text, video, and images at 120 FPS across all Apple devices. RealityKit offers no procedural drawing API equivalent to shape nodes.
- Particles and physics fields are very easy and fun to play with.
- The rigid body engine has a good feel. By comparison, RealityKit sleeps too aggressively, and doesn't have spring joints.
- SpriteKit is lightweight and runs well on older devices.
In an ideal world, I'd also love to see SpriteKit improved:
- A deterministic physics engine
- Metal shader support
- Soft shadows for lights
One can dream.
Thank you!