Long-running Italian indie developer Santa Ragione has criticised Apple for delisting its narrative game Wheels of Aurelia, despite the studio claiming the game is “fully functional” and “compliant with current technical standards”.
“We announce with deep disappointment that our award-winning narrative game, Wheels of Aurelia, will soon be removed from Apple’s App Store following Apple’s recent decision to delist the game,” the studio said in a statement on BlueSky.
“Despite multiple appeals and sincere efforts to seek clarification, Apple has not provided clear justification for this removal, citing only their policy to remove apps deemed ‘obsolete’ or ‘outdated’, despite the game being fully functional and compliant with current technical standards.”
Wheels of Aurelia is an acclaimed experimental narrative game where players take a road trip across Italy in the ’70s with a variety of passengers.
“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,” continued the statement. “Like books, films, and music albums, video games represent complete creative works that do not inherently require continual updates beyond maintaining basic functionality.”
The statement then pointed out that “enforced and unnecessary” updates are a significant financial challenge for smaller developers as they pursue new projects.
The developer then turned its attention to the EU’s recent measures against Apple around the Digital Markets Act, which have resulted in extensive EU App Store changes.
“Furthermore, Apple’s dominant position in digital distribution makes such practices especially troubling, reinforcing the importance of diversified ecosystems. We commend recent EU regulations designed to prevent monopolistic behaviours, fostering more fairness and plurality in the digital marketplace.”
Wheels of Aurelia is available for free on the App Store as a result, with the studio wanting to give as many people the chance to play the game as possible before it’s delisted.
GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Apple for comment on Santa Ragione’s statement.