Adapt to Chinese regulations Apple had to remove nearly 39,000 apps from its App Store, which did not have licenses to operate in this country. Several of them include popular titles like Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed Identity and NBA 2K20.
In addition to the 39,000 games, the report states that Apple has also removed more than 46,000 total apps from its store. According to the data, Apple warned developers in July of removing apps, in case they fail to meet regulatory requirements.
Thousands of apps outside of the Chinese App Store
Although official app licensing regulations have been in place since 2016, a recent increase in pressure on Apple to comply has led to the move.
After the regulatory change in that year, Apple has started asking games for a government license testbut apparently did not do everything possible to enforce the policy.
According to information published on 9to5mac, “Local media reported that developers could make do with fabricated ISBNs or get around the rule by posting to an overseas iOS app store first, then moving to China. Apple was also allowing games to enter the App Store pending licensing. “
At the time, Apple was giving developers until the end of July to provide a valid license number, removing around 30,000 apps on August 1. However, there were tens of thousands more left and Apple set a new deadline for today, December 31.
In 2019, China accounted for about a fifth of the $ 61 billion in services sold through the App Store Apple, which makes it the biggest market after the United States, so this measure without a doubt, this situation hits Apple where it hurts the most.
