Apple continues to bow to its Chinese overlords, with the Cupertino firm removing an amazing 46,000 apps in one day from the Chinese App Store to kowtow to licensing requirements in the country.
The removal number is the largest one-day figure ever and was likely due to a need to meet the December 31 date requirement set by the Chinese government.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the purge included 39,000 games, which included such notable titles as Assassin’s Creed Identity and NBA 2K20. The report says 74 of the top 1500 paid games in 2020 remain available for sale or download.
Last week, we reported that the Chinese government had ordered the Cupertino firm to remove nearly 100,000 games from its App Store in the country in 2020.
Games in China are required by law to obtain an approval number from China’s National Press and Publication Administration. While waiting for the approval Apple was allowing developers to submit and publish their apps while their application for this number was pending. However, the Chinese government opted to crack down on Apple’s “unofficial” policy.
Foreign developers are finding it difficult to get their games published in China, which is likely the reason for the rules by the protectionist Chinese government. Figures from the administration show as few as 97 foreign games were approved for 2020.
Chinese gaming revenue is an important part of Apple’s income for the App Store. From January to November 2020, Apple’s gaming revenue in China was $13 billion.
