Apple Threatening to Remove Apps and Games That Haven't Been Updated Recently

gamerant.com:

Apple has been no stranger to controversy as of late; from recent skirmishes with Facebook’s parent company Meta to a longstanding legal battle with Fortnite publisher Epic Games, the tech megacorporation seems to be on the outs with an increasing number of developers and consumers. Worsening matters is the new App Store Improvements initiative which calls for the deletion of most products on the Apple App Store that haven’t been updated in the past two years.

While there’s something to be said for Apple decluttering a digital storefront, many app developers are viewing it as an attack on the concept of a finished product. Twitter user and indie mobile game dev Protopop Games has been among the most vocal about the issue, tweeting on April 22, 2022 that its mobile game Motivoto is scheduled for termination in a month’s time unless a new update is submitted. Protopop Games argues that, while issuing updates may not be a big deal for larger developers, this initiative puts an unfair burden on smaller developers who may not have the resources to constantly update older games.

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Protopop Games continued by conceding that working to remove non-functional apps or apps intended to scam users makes sense. However, Apple’s methods remain seriously suspect. Additionally, there seems to be no clear delineation between an actual improvement and an update; many indie devs will now be forced to submit ostensibly useless updates to ensure that their games remain available on Apple’s App Store. Apple reportedly made more money in 2019 than Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo combined, so its sudden interest in supplanting its mobile app ecosystem seems suspect.

Apple issued a statement declaring it wants