Game developers are unhappy with Apple’s policy change, and apps will be removed if they haven’t been updated recently.
On Twitter, Protopop Games (below) shared an email from Apple saying their app has not been updated for a “long period of time” and will therefore be removed from the App Store.
The game in question, Motivoto, was already finished, so the last update was three years ago in March 2019, but Apple told Protopop Games that “if an update is not submitted within 30 days, the app will stop selling.”
Complaints center on the fact that all games will eventually stop receiving updates as the developer continues, but will likely remain functional from then on. Apple’s new policy could result in the removal of a large number of classic games because they were released years ago. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment on the reasoning behind the new policy.
I feel sick. Apple just sent me an email saying they are removing my free game Motivoto because it is over 2 years old. This is part of their app improvement system.
It’s not cool. Console games from 2000 are still available.
This is an unfair hurdle for indie developers. pic.twitter.com/7XNcLfiEcR
— Protopop Games (@protopop) April 23, 2022
Single-player developer Protopop Games said in a follow-up tweet: “I’m sitting here Friday night, working hard. [the] After my day job, trying to make a living from my indie games as much as I can, trying to keep up with the changes in Apple, Google, Unity, Xcode, MacOS that are happening so fast it makes my head spin.
“Now, with Google’s new plan, I want to update all my games every 2 years, even if they don’t have any issues.
“Now I need to dig through my project files, update the Unity version to make sure it meets the App Store requirements, rebuild, retest, resubmit everything to get the exact same game in the exact same place as before.”
.@apple Deleting some of my old games b/c they “haven’t been updated in a long time”
Games can exist as completed objects! These free items don’t fit into an update or live service model, they’re works of art done years ago. pic.twitter.com/iflH70j7q4
— Emilia ✨ (@lazerwalker) April 23, 2022
Protopop isn’t the only developer to express concerns about the new policy.Twitter user @lazerwalkerApple, who makes experimental games with novel interfaces, said Apple is also removing her old games.
“Games can exist as completed objects,” she said. “These free items don’t fit into an update or live service model, they’re works of art done years ago.”
developer of rated mutants, @TezFraser on Twitter says: “If you’re wondering why I stopped making mobile games, here’s why. Honestly, it’s not worth keeping up with all the App Store crap.”
Apple also removed my version of the FlickType keyboard, which was specifically aimed at the visually impaired community, because I haven’t updated it in 2 years.
Meanwhile, games like Pocket God haven’t been updated by the developers for 7 years: https://t.co/3azyIydty7 pic.twitter.com/n36rvHvF4H
— Kosta Eleftheriou (@keleftheriou) April 23, 2022
New rules affect all apps, not just games, Twitter users @keleftheriou Says “Apple also removed my version of the FlickType keyboard, which was specifically aimed at the visually impaired community.”
Apple’s move has been criticized for its lack of consideration for game preservation, as basically only live-service games will remain on the platform without intervention.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers tweeting @thelastdinsdale. He would talk about wizards all day.
