It seems that Apple is taking new measures with respect to third-party applications, now aimed at the field of video games. It was known that the Cupertino company is withdrawing thousands of applications from the Chinese app store. A fresh report from Reuters says that Apple removed 29,800 apps from the Chinese store, including thousands of video apps. This is due to non-compliance with the Chinese mobile gaming law first introduced in 2016.
Under the law, game developers must obtain a license from one of the censorship agencies, the China General Administration of Press and Publications. This is a requirement in order to offer paid downloads or in-app purchases. However, this process has become uphill, so it can take many months, complicating development companies.
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According to the report, more than 26,000 video games were not licensed. The Chinese government has a series of restrictions and regulations in the industry that delay the approval and development process of apps. This is mainly in the gaming industry, in order to eliminate sensitive content.
Video game developers must have approvals to enable in-app purchases. Acquiring these licenses takes a long time and is quite tedious. This affects the development of game companies. Moreover, Apple gave a limit to developers who did not have a license prior to this removal. It seems that this was not possible for the companies to get it by June. Thus, it resulted in the elimination of video games from the App Store in China.
A devastating effect on the industry in China
Todd Kuhns, marketing manager for AppInChina said, “This affects the income of small and medium developers more. However, due to the difficulties of acquiring a commercial license. It is a devastating move for the entire iOS game industry in China”. In early July 2020, more than 2,500 game apps were removed from Apple’s Chinese app store, Sensor Tower reported.
