After years of looking the other way when it came to unauthorized games in its China-based App Store, Apple (AAPL 0.49%) will begin removing them next month.
Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported the iPhone maker will remove thousands of mobile games starting in July and will require developers and publishers to get a license from the Chinese government in order to remain in the app store.
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That could hurt Rockstar Games, which makes Grand Theft Auto, and others like it, that may have a hard time getting approval because of how violence is glorified in the games. Since 2016 any mobile games users have to pay for or require in-app purchases have to be reviewed by the Chinese government and receive a license before publishing. The Android device stores have followed the rule but Apple has largely ignored it.
While Apple hasn’t enforced that rule, it did remind game developers in China they need licenses by the end of June. But with many developers unsure if the tech stock would now enforce the rule Apple was forced to make it more official, reported Bloomberg. Apple is now telling developers the games will be banned and removed from the App Store if they don’t follow the Chinese government’s guidelines.
In recent weeks Apple has been acting more amenable to the Chinese government’s demands when it comes to content on its platform. Earlier this month it removed Pocket Casts, the podcast client from the China App Store after the government’s Cyberspace Administration of China decided it could be used to access content the country considers illegal. The iPhone maker also removed Castro, another podcast app in China. Apple didn’t provide either company with specific reasons why the apps were removed, noted The Verge at the time. China is a big market for Apple. Keeping the government happy will help it with its dealings in the country.
