In September 2010, Apple was introducing Game Center as a common social layer for games. The subject fits an important change in the early App Store: a game could connect its local play to friends, achievements and competition beyond one device. This article is a newly sourced retrospective, not a reconstruction of an unavailable live-news report.
The announced capabilities
Apple’s dated Getting Started with Game Center announcement describes invitations, multiplayer matching, achievements and leaderboards. Those are distinct features. A leaderboard compares results; matching helps arrange a game; an achievement records a defined milestone. A game can use one without offering all the others.
Platform support does not finish the game
Shared services can reduce the work of building an account and social system, but the developer still chooses what a score means and how play is balanced. Two games that both mention Game Center may offer very different experiences. Some are enjoyable entirely alone, while others make competition central.
That is useful context when reading old reviews. A reference to Game Center does not prove that a particular mode still has active players or that an old game has kept pace with changes to the operating system.
Choose the social experience you want
Before introducing a game to friends, decide whether you want simultaneous play, asynchronous turns or simply a score to compare later. Check the exact game description and its supported devices. A shared platform name is not a promise that all editions can play together.
For a child or a shared device, review the account and interaction settings with the person who will use it. The historical significance of Game Center is the move toward common infrastructure for social play; the quality and suitability of a particular game still require a separate judgement.