Apple’s determination to lobotomise the politically-charged Endgame: Syria has finally won out. In order to get the title onto the app store, developer GameTheNews has been forced to make changes that, in the words of Tomas Rawlings, transform the project “from a ‘newsgame’ into just a ‘game’”.
“We’ve come to the end of three rejections and one appeal and the only way we’ve been able to get Endgame: Syria out on iOS was to remove all references to the real world and sadly that changes it from a ‘newsgame’ into just a ‘game’.” said Rawlings. “We’ve released this game version so at least players with Apple devices can get a feel for what we originally intended for the platform. We are of course disappointed to not be able to release the game and hope that our experience informs a wider debate about how games have matured into a form that would benefit from a reappraisal by some.”
Elsewhere however the Android, PC and Facebook versions – all free, and all uncensored – have benefited from an update that reflects recent developments in the Syria crisis, such as increasing fears over WMDs. Endgame: Syria is just one game that can be found at GameTheNews.net, which is in the business of quickly turning around games based on major news stories. This latest turn of events does not bode well for the future of GameTheNews projects – or indeed, anything with intelligence that refuses to shy away from politics – on the app store.
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