The Apple China app store has done its biggest one-day removal of games yet, taking down 39,000 games during a single 24-hour session. This has come with an increase in needing to obtain games with licenses - all of the games that were deleted had none, or did not renew their previous license.
Mobile games have become one of the best ways this year to stay in with friends during quarantine. Games like Among Us, the popular "who done it" imposter game, have taken the world by storm, due to their easy learning curve, and the possibility of being able to collaborate with loved ones from across the country or the world. However, not all mobile games are created alike, as some haven't gotten the appropriate license that is needed to continue production.
According to Reuters, not only were 39,000 games deleted in the China app store but a total of 46,000 apps, in general, were deleted. Among these games were popular titles like Assassin's Creed Identity and NBA 2K20, with only 74 of the top 1,500 paid games actually being saved. This wasn't without warning though, as Apple had originally given game-publishers a set date at the end of June to submit a government-issued license to keep their games running, and that would allow for the game developers to use in-app purchases. Apple then extended this deadline to December 31, but even with that deadline, all of these games weren't able to obtain a license or did not renew, so now they have been completely removed, with the Apple company trying to "fall in line" with China's content regulations.
It's not a surprise that Apple had done this, considering most of these games are probably not that very well known and it was more of a purge than singling out on a particular series or game. Chinese games, in general, have gotten very popular this year, including the Genshin Impact, so they're clearly bringing in money for Apple. This instance was more for the sake of keeping Apple's hands clean. But, that doesn't change the fact that it's still a shame to see so many games and apps get taken out so quickly.
Even so, there's still plenty of mobile games for s to go to, including the the popular Pokemon GO, so s can "catch them all." But, everyone, gamers and non-gamers alike, can have a moment of silence for the fallen mobile games. May they rest in pixels.
Source: Reuters