Apple removed 39,000 game apps from the Chinese app store

Source: Reuters | Editor: Handoyo.

KONTAN.CO.ID – HONG KONG. Apple removed 39,000 game apps from its Chinese app store Thursday, the biggest ever deletion in a single day, because it set the end of the year as the deadline for all game publishers to get a license.

The removal comes amid a crackdown on games without permission by Chinese authorities.

Including 39,000 games, Apple removed a total of more than 46,000 apps from its stores on Thursday. Games affected by the sweep include the titles Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed Identity and NBA 2K20, according to research firm Qimai.

Qimai also said only 74 of the top 1,500 paid games on the Apple store survived the cleanup.

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Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple initially gave game publishers a late June deadline to submit a government-issued license number that would allow users to make in-app purchases in the world’s largest gaming market.

Apple then extended the deadline to December 31. China’s Android app store has long complied with licensing regulations. It’s unclear why Apple has enforced it more strictly this year.

Analysts said the move was not surprising as Apple continues to close the gap to keep pace with China’s content regulators, and will not directly impact Apple’s profits as much as its previous write-offs.

“However, the main axis of accepting only paid games that have game licenses, coupled with the very low number of foreign game licenses approved in China this year, will probably lead more game developers to switch to an ad-supported model for their Chinese version. “Said Todd Kuhns, marketing manager of AppInChina, a company that helps overseas companies distribute their applications.