Acclaimed indie studio accuses Apple of yanking its game from the App Store without “clear justification”

Santa Ragione – the acclaimed indie studio and publisher behind the likes of Saturnalia, Mirror Moon EP, and Mediterranea Inferno – has accused Apple of yanking one of its titles from the App Store without “clear justification”.

In a statement provided to Eurogamer, Santa Ragione co-founder and director Pietro Righi Riva revealed the studio’s 2016 visual novel Wheels of Aurelia will be delisted from the App Store on 25th July following a number of unsuccessful appeals to Apple.

According to Riva, Apple’s reasoning for Wheels of Aurelia’s removal has remained vague, with the company only citing its “policy to remove apps deemed ‘obsolete’ or ‘outdated'” during correspondence. Riva insists the game remains “fully functional and compliant with current technical standards” and that no “clear justification” for the removal has been provided “despite multiple appeals and sincere efforts to seek clarification.” We’ve contacted Apple for comment.

Riva added that “enforced and unnecessary” updates “represent a substantial financial burden” for developers, and “negatively [impacts] their ability to sustain existent projects and to pursue new creative endeavours.”

“We firmly believe that removing fully functional artistic works simply due to infrequent updates undermines the value and sustainability of games as cultural and artistic products,” he continued. “Like books, films, and music albums, video games represent complete creative works that do not inherently require continual updates beyond maintaining basic functionality.”

Riva called Apple’s practices “especially troubling” given the tech company’s “dominant position in digital distribution”, adding they reinforce the “importance of diversified ecosystems”. He also applauded the European Union’s recent efforts at “fostering more fairness and plurality in the digital marketplace.” Apple, of course, has repeatedly expressed its discontent over EU decisions stemming from the Digital Markets Act legislation Riva appears to be referencing, and is currently appealing a €500m fine it received in April over the restrictions it places on app developers wishing to use alternative purchase methods.

Santa Ragione is far from the only developer to take issue with Apple’s approach. Studios described creating games for the company’s platforms as being “like an abusive relationship” in a report last year, while Fortnite developer Epic Games has been heavily involved in legal efforts to curtail Apple’s much-criticised practices following a significant falling out in 2020.

As for Wheels of Aurelia, Santa Ragione is making the game – a “narrative road trip… set in the roaring Italian 70s” – free on the App Store until its delisting on 25th July, to ensure “as many people as possible can experience this work before its removal”.