Apple has removed game developer Slitherine’s Afghanistan ’11 from the iOS App Store for using a “specific person or real entity” as the enemy of the game, even though it is touted as being entirely historically accurate in depicting the US war in Afghanistan.
Slitherine, a small UK based game developer, specializes in accurate war simulation games. With a strong emphasis placed on learning, rather than gameplay, further paired with the fact the app has been available for well over a year, it comes as a surprise that Apple chose to pull the plug here rather than giving Slitherine an outright rejection from the get-go.
Polygon reached out to the developers and received a statement via email regarding the focus and premise of Afghanistan ’11.
Previously, the last wave of removals from the App Store was back in 2015, when Confederate flag reevaluation took over the media, pushing Apple to remove “offensive or mean-spirited” apps.
— Paulo Paglianti, Slitherine
It’s unclear if the developers are working with Apple to seek a reenlistment of the app to the iOS store, or what moves Apple will make regarding other realistic war games. However, we’ll be sure to keep a keen eye out for any similar removals on the App Store.
