Apple purges thousands of unlicensed games from China app store

China is one of Apple’s largest markets for selling digital goods and services, with the iPhone maker typically taking a 30% cut from such transactions. — Reuters

Apple Inc removed more than 30,000 apps, 90% of them games, from its iPhone App Store in China on Aug 1, Qimai Research Institute said.

The crackdown, which began in June and escalated in July, ends the unofficial practice of allowing games to be published while awaiting approval from Beijing’s censors, which all titles that are paid or offer in-app purchases must obtain. The loophole existed only on the iPhone, as local Chinese Android vendors already adhered to the rule without exception. After the Aug 1 purge, there were about 179,000 games remaining in Apple’s China store, of which 160,000 were free.