Apple blocks Steam’s plan to extend its videogames to iPhones

An Apple logo is seen on the building's facade of an Apple store in Frankfurt, Germany, March 10, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski/File Photo

Apple Inc has blocked the plans of the biggest distributor of PC-based videogames to extend its reach into iPhones, according to the game distributor, a sign that Apple is serious about protecting its ability to take a cut of digital purchases made inside games on its mobile devices.

Steam, the dominant online store for downloaded games played on Windows PCs, had planned to release a free mobile phone app called Steam Link so that gamers could continue playing on their mobile phones while away from their desktop machines. But Apple has rejected the app, blocking its release, according to a statement from Steam's parent company, the Bellevue, Washington-based Valve Corp.