Apple is tightening up its App Store policies in China, namely requiring that any paid game or app on the store will require official government approval before it’ll show up on the mobile storefront starting in July.
GameLook (via PanDaily) reports that the shift marks an end to a series of loopholes that otherwise allowed developers to launch on the iOS App Store without seeking government approval.
It’s not a sudden policy change as Apple has been moving toward compliance since earlier in the year but the June 30 deadline for devs to provide Apple with proof of that approval is fast approaching.
Starting in July, any game that requires its players to pay upfront or during gameplay via in-app purchases will be required to go through that approval process and receive the greenlight from government regulators before Apple will approve it for launch on the App Store. Games that monetize through ad revenue look to be excluded from those tightening regulations on the App Store, at least for the time being.
Mobile is a sizable platform in China, and with Apple now more closely adhering to China’s rules about game approvals developers that haven’t already started the lengthy screening process likely have some work ahead of them, even if their games meet the government’s strict content restrictions.