Apple has removed nearly 39,000 apps from its Chinese App Store due to the apps lacking an official license from local regulators, reports Reuters.
Games affected by the sweep included Ubisoft title Assassin’s Creed Identity and NBA 2K20, according to research firm Qimai. Qimai also said only 74 of the top 1,500 paid games on Apple store survived the purge.
Apple warned Chinese developers that a new wave of paid gaming apps are at risk of removal from its app store, according to a memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal, after the company removed thousands of such apps earlier this year.
Four years ago the Chinese government four years ago began requiring videogames to be licensed before being released, but developers were able to skirt the requirement in the App Store. The Wall Street Journal says Apple hasn’t said why the loophole existed or why the company began closing it this year.
