Apple removes over 4,500 mobile games from China's App Store

Tech giant Apple has removed at least 4,500 games from China's App Store under the pressure from the Chinese government to comply with its Internet policies. More than 3,000 games were removed from Apple's China App Store in just two days last week, which is one of the biggest game purges on Apple's App Store ever, reports TechNode.

New regulations require game developers to gain approval from the Chinese regulators before uploading their apps in China's Apple App store. "We are seeing unprecedented numbers of games dropping off the Apple App Store China daily since Apple implemented this new policy on July 1.

"Sadly, because China only approves about 1,500 game licenses a year, and the process itself takes six to 12 months, most of these apps will be waiting a long time before they are allowed back on the store," Todd Kuhns, marketing manager at AppInChina, was quoted as saying.

Specifically, 1,571 apps were removed on July 1, 1,805 on July 2, and 1,276 on July 3. It is estimated that over 20,000 apps could be affected in total owing to new China restrictions.

China is Apple''s biggest App Store market, with sales of $16.4 billion a year, according to data from Sensor Tower. In the US, the figures are $15.4 billion a year. Apple currently hosts roughly 60,000 games in China that are paid for or have in-app purchases.

According to market research firm Newzoo, iOS may generate 53 per cent of total mobile game revenue in China which is around $13 billion. The App Store generates more revenue in China than it does in any other country, with the majority of it coming from gaming.

*Edited from an IANS report