Apple has removed thousands of gaming apps from the App Store. The reason why apps are deleted from the App Store is to crack down on game apps that are not licensed in China, and it is suggested that the deleted apps may affect areas other than game apps.
This is not the first time that Apple has removed a game app from the App Store in response to Chinese regulations. On August 1, 2020, a paid game app or a game app with a billing factor was removed from the Chinese App Store because it did not meet the Chinese regulatory requirements. At that time, the number of deleted game apps was over 30,000, which was 90% of the game apps in service.
For this reason, the game app was deleted from the Chinese app store again. When deleting, Apple reportedly notified app developers that in December 2020, paid games and games with in-app billing must submit proof of government approval by December 31st.
The reason why paid games and games with an overbearing factor are being removed from the Chinese App Store is due to Chinese regulations requiring game licenses to be acquired before app launch. So far, this regulatory requirement has been avoided by the developer by releasing the app while waiting for approval after applying for a license in the Chinese App Store. However, due to changes in Apple’s policy, this loophole was blocked and the app was deleted.
According to reports, the China Cyberspace Administration is requesting not only game apps but also popular apps such as Tripadvisor to be deleted. Although the number of apps requested to be deleted is more than 100, it is known that the government authorities have not explained in detail the reason for the deletion request.
In response, Apple has been carefully investigating and opposing requests for deletion from Chinese government authorities every time it receives requests for deletion from Chinese authorities. The final decision may go against its hopes. He explained that he believes that providing access to applications equipped with is the best service offering to customers.
Meanwhile, reports reported that under pressure from the Chinese government, Apple deleted 272,000 game apps from the Chinese app store in 2019 and at least 94,000 in 2020. Related information can be found here .