Apple inc on Saturday removed 29,800 apps from its Chinese app store, including more than 26,000 games, data research firm Qimai reported. The move has come in middle of a crackdown on games that don’t have the required government license to allow them for in-app purchases.
Apple has been warning game developers to acquire licences from Chinese authorities if they wish to continue their services available at the iOS App Store for quite some time now. Since the developers didn’t abide by the rules, Apple has now decided to take down the warned apps.
According to media reports, Apple had given developers a June-end deadline to submit a government-issued licence number for continuing to provide their apps for make in-app purchases.
According to data research firm Qimai, Apple pulled a total of 29,800 apps from the Chinese version of the App Store on Saturday, including more than 26,000 games. Reuters reports the new batch of removals follows an earlier sweep from the first week of July, which affected over 2,500 apps, including games from major companies including Supercell and Zynga.
The Chinese government has strict regulations on its gaming industry to remove sensitive content. Seeking approval from the officials in China is a laborious process, and often ends up taking a complicated procedure. Many small-and-mid sized developers’ are affected by the process, an industry outsider said.
“This affects small- and mid-sized developers’ incomes the most, but due to the difficulties of acquiring a business licence, it’s devastating to the whole iOS game industry in China,” said Todd Kuhn, marketing manager for AppIn China, a firm that helps overseas companies distribute their apps in the country.
