Apple pulls Big Fish subscription app
App Store's first subs service for games removed after a week on sale
Big Fish Games subscription service has been pulled from the App Store less than a week after it launched, Bloomberg reports.
The app allowed users to stream dozens of Big Fish's games to an iPad for $6.99 a month, and has been available since November 18. However, Big Fish founder Paul Thelen was informed that it had been removed yesterday, and is currently waiting on further details from Apple.
Thelen claims that the app was "officially approved", with Apple also clearing the press release that accompanied the launch. Apple spokesman Tom Meumayr declined to comment.
When the news first broke, Thelen told Bloomberg that the clearance process took "longer than usual."
"They needed to be convinced there's a reason to charge customers every month," he said.
Sounds like an instant PR nightmare to me but, I'll wait to see what the actual reason Apple give for the withdrawal is.
I think you're seeing what you're looking for here (while easily labeling Apple without providing any evidence I might add).
BigFish is essentially making a mini-App Store using apple's own App Store.
Would you decry a restaurant owner for banning a patron from setting up their own sandwich table in the restaurant? No, you would not.
And this is definitely news. An app of this type would be a huge move for Big Fish (whose revenues were 140 million last year, so not exactly a small potato) and Apple (because nothing like this has been allowed on the store before). And the price is the same as their website's subscription club service. And the average player on their site buys around 25 games per year, so the subscription price is a great deal for the average Big Fish player.
@Joe Schultz, I think Tom is referring to Apple suing basically every single smartphone company around even ones in business with them, trying to get the competition removed off the shelves so they dont have to compete.
Of course, this could just be some sort of miscommunication. Maybe the story isn't quite accurate, I certainly hope not.
@Tom:
Samsung charges 25 for a replacement Galaxy screen (3dparty)
It is one of the main reasons for their success, but also for the quality of their products and the consistency of the customer experience.
It's not going to change any time soon, and anything that threatens to derail, dilute or distort it will be crushed or sidelined.
Sorry if I sound like a fan boy, I've just finished Jobs' biography and it's made quite an impact on me!
The other subscription services such as films or magazines do not really have so much of an issue with this because it is easier for them to demonstrate that they will not cause a problem for Apple.
Who knows, perhaps a game was already uploaded on the Big Fish app which caused Apple to have a panic attack.