So because you can't afford it or don't want it, no one should ? What is with this egotistical comment being posted over and over again in this thread ?
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Apple Removes Subscription-Based iPad Gaming App from App Store
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So because you can't afford it or don't want it, no one should ? What is with this egotistical comment being posted over and over again in this thread ?
Hah! Isn't that the truth. Getting kicked off the App Store, and let back on is the best advertising an app could get.
I'm not surprised that game companies want to go in this direction. Not just to "bring in more cash", but to bring in a steady revenue stream. It must be difficult for companies to survive from one game release to the next; one big delay to the next project and you run out of cash and the company goes under. (Admittedly, Big Fish probably doesn't fall into that category).
Who are you apologizing to ? What Apple haters ?
Maybe then Apple could've told Big Fish about it ? No one is asking for a press release here..
Apple has a knack for mishandling communication about App Store approval/rejections. This is nothing new.
This sounds like it might have been (at best) a miscommunication between the App review team and Big Fish Games. BGF was likely working with a single low-level reviewer on certain changes that need to be made (which is common), and once that reviewer was satisfied, the approval was made.
BGF then went pushing out press releases and doing interviews claiming they were granted special powers working directly with Apple on this, and were the first company able to offer such functionality.
Not once did you see Apple mention that this service would be open to other developers, or even make a single public comment about it. That is very telling.
BGF then went pushing out press releases and doing interviews claiming they were granted special powers working directly with Apple on this, and were the first company able to offer such functionality.
Not once did you see Apple mention that this service would be open to other developers, or even make a single public comment about it. That is very telling.
If it's a legal issue it has to go through the lawyers right? The app was pulled just hours ago.
Plus you know very well just about anything Apple says, even in private, quickly turns into a press release.
Anything to justify Apple right ?
"Your app was pulled due to legal issues, you'll be hearing from our lawyers soon...".
Again, no one is asking for public disclosure and a press release with a Keynote event featuring a resurrected Steve here. It's just Apple's modus operandi that is yet again making the rounds and another developer get a "no comments" rejection. They're not the first, they're not going to be the last. Apple still needs to work on those communication skills.
I wonder how big the App Store approval department within Apple is? There must be a huge volume of app going through every week. I'm not saying that would excuse their vague, arbitrary and opaque approval & communication process, but it might be part of it.
You also have to factor in you have tens of thousands of developers, many of whom are pushing the boundaries in what is permitted on the App Store, and Apple is bound to get caught unprepared at times.
This has been covered. They have a rather small department and a huge number of applications to sift through. On average, they get a few minutes per applications.
Except this is not a simple rejection. This is "Your app was approved ... and now it's not". These situations are much rarer and should be handled with better communication with the developer.
Are you 100% sure Big Fish Games didn't get any notice at all? Mighty convenient of them to play the underdog card at this point. It's clear you don't trust Apple, but somehow you trust some games company with a vested interest in this?
Are you a developer on Apple's iOS program by any chance? If not you don't really know what you're talking about. Just what you pick up from the media.
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Covered where? Small department? Really? Hahahaah
So you have reasons to doubt Big Fish's sincerity but make no question to Apple's ?
And then you dare talk about "Apple haters"... Please, you're getting quite close to my ignore list with such an attitude.
I'm a developer on Apple's free program. I have no reason yet to pay as my code is not ready for on-device testing/distribution on the app store. And yes, what I pick up from other developers is quite of interest to me.
Again, this is not a new situation and Big Fish aren't the first to get burned. These are not 3rd party accounts, but 1st party accounts of the situation. Developers are themselves commenting on Apple's lack of communication skills in these issues. No need to jump to Apple's defense, Apple doesn't even feel the need to justify themselves in these cases, why should you feel burdened to do so for them ?
I would love to be in your ignore list.
No need to jump to Apple's attack either when nothing is really known about this.
Why are you ridiculing my comment ?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10315328-37.html
Yes, the app store team is small. Apple operates with such teams. Again, known fact. Apple operates as if it was a small/medium business in order to remain flexible and be able to better adapt to changing market realities. They have stated as much themselves :
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-inside-the-worlds-biggest-startup/
Tone down your attitude here. Get a grasp of the subject before you try to ridicule other posters. Apple is Apple. To try to deny what they are because it might not generate positive press all the time is ludicrous.
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Who's attacking Apple ? Reading this thread, I see people commenting on Apple's lack of communication skills or on the fact they don't like subscription based games.
Both things that are known in the equations. No one is inventing reasons for the sudden pull except people trying to justify it...
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Glad to oblige then. I've said my piece, obviously there's nothing I will post that will convince you that Apple is not perfect.
So they already had 40 people evaluating submissions IN 2009, which if I remember correctly was only 1 year after the App Store started.
Do you have any idea of how many people they have NOW?
Small department? That's why I laughed.
When BFG starts issuing press releases and doing interviews about how they worked on this with Apple and were granted special powers compared to other devs, but Apple is dead silent on the matter, then yes we have reason to doubt the scope of their claims.
I certainly agree with you there.
Perhaps Apple have decided they'll do the 'technical' approval of apps quickly; and get the app onto the store; and then do the 'commercial/legal' approval afterwards if required. If they did a full review of every single app before allowing it on the store, it would take a hell of a lot longer than a few minutes.
So perhaps they put everything on 'express approval', and then afterwards they can yank anything that might be commercially/legally/politically questionable.
It's not entirely like that, Apple pulling apps off the store is still a rare occurrence. They tick a lot of boxes before an app goes into the store, there's not so much of an express approval especially for a brand new app.
Apps being pulled still makes the news around here, so you see how rare it is.
Then they have to expect these situations to crop up. Obviously, they are still suffering from growing pains in this arena and the situation, while it has improved (we get less of these stories nowadays), still isn't quite perfect yet.
But I doubt they would do such a process, that's just asking for bad publicity. You want to have as little as possible of these "Approved... and now it's not" situations, so unfortunately, the best way to do so remains direct rejections.
Obviously, Apple had an issue after the developer opened subscriptions. How much of it is poor communication on Apple's part ? How much of it is poor understanding on Big Fish's part ? Who knows. There's 2 sides to every story, we have 1.
From the actual Bloomberg article:
“We were notified that the app was removed,” said Paul Thelen, founder of Big Fish, a game publisher in Seattle. The app had been available since Nov. 18, he said. “We’re trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened.”
I'm pretty sure the notification Big Fish received from Apple included at least a general reason why the app was pulled, so I don't buy this "Apple didn't tell them anything" line that some people have twisted this quote into.
Maybe it didn't have all the detail they wanted or Big Fish disagree with it, but that's another thing. Didn't stop them from rushing to the media with it though.
“We were notified that the app was removed,” said Paul Thelen, founder of Big Fish, a game publisher in Seattle. The app had been available since Nov. 18, he said. “We’re trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened.”
I'm pretty sure the notification Big Fish received from Apple included at least a general reason why the app was pulled, so I don't buy this "Apple didn't tell them anything" line that some people have twisted this quote into.
Maybe it didn't have all the detail they wanted or Big Fish disagree with it, but that's another thing. Didn't stop them from rushing to the media with it though.
The "poor communication" most people are talking about is most likely about this "1 side" issue, not the previously successful approval process.
We have 1 side because Apple decided to "decline to comment" about the app removal. If you hide behind "no comment" it's obvious people start thinking about what are you trying to hide (even if you actually have nothing to hide but for some reason are not ready for issuing statements).
It would have been better for Apple to get a clear statement ready to be issued together with the app removal (unless actually they *do* have something they'd rather hide for now).
You play forever the same puzzle game after you solved it?
He likes being stuck in a loop
Apps being pulled is a daily, if not hourly occourance. Many devs just don't speak up for fear that Apple will revoke their ability to upload content entirely, and Apple have made public statements to the effect that they are fine with being so petty and vindictive.
Phazer
Cool story bro, care to back it up with some references?
Oh let me guess, there's none because developers are afraid to speak up. Even if the media hid their identities Apple would find out who it was, they really are the CIA in disguise.
But it's really happening, yes, we should all trust you.
