‘Serious’ Game developers getting tripped up by rules and regs of Apple’s App Store
We’ve already detailed iOS 7’s support for MFi hardware game controllers as well as enhancements to in-game leaderboards, new turn-based game modes, and even new security measures to curb cheating, but with all of these great new additions to the platform we often wonder, ‘what really goes in to making a great iOS game?’ Moreover, while Apple’s App Store is designed to foster independent creativity and allow for any developer with a vision and talent to make it to the top of the charts, why is it that we often see the same old games flood the Top Paid and Top Free categories?
Polygon’s Tracey Lien asked the same question and gives us a handful of great insights into the world of iOS game development. It turns out that, with Apple’s strict App Store policies, making a game isn’t as easy as some might think. In her feature, Lien states that a number of ‘serious games’ have recently been rejected by Apple due to violating the App Store’s guidelines. This would appear to be business as usual as we’ve seen a plethora of apps — both games and otherwise — rejected from the App Store for violating the stringent guidelines, but Lien claims that many of the developers she spoke to have found the policies that they’ve been charged with violating often to be vague and/or completely subjective.
