China's
App Store is slimming down as Apple has spent July removing thousands of games that failed to show they have secured the proper licenses to comply with local regulations.
On July 1, Apple had
begun freezing updates to games that failed to show that their games had been appropriately licensed. Shortly after, they started pulling games that didn't comply with the newly enforced rules.
Over 2,500 games were pulled by July 7, according
Sensor Tower data. Roughly 80% of the games that had been removed had less than 10,000 downloads in the last eight years.
The games removed from the App Store had a lifetime gross revenue of $34.7 million. Of those 2,500 games, one had earned more than $10 million, while six others had earned over $1 million.
China demands that all games receive a license from the National Press and Publication Administration. While the rule was put forth in 2016, Apple was not required to make sure the law was heavily enforced. Now, many experts believe China is cracking down on foreign markets due to the U.S.-China trade war.