14 DAY TRIAL // A controversial iPhone game about growing and selling weed has been taken down at Apple’s request, with the developers arguing that “the game was just too good and got to number one in All Categories.”
Of course, the sensitive nature of the title was enough to ban it, yet Apple let it live for a while nonetheless. Enough so we could report its existence and then see it flunk. Manitoba Games, who are now tweaking the Weed Firm to get it back in the top-selling ranks, have this to say about Apple’s decision:
“As you might have noticed the game is no longer available on the Apple App Store. This was entirely Apple's decision, not ours. We guess the problem was that the game was just too good and got to number one in All Categories, since there are certainly a great number of weed based apps still available, as well as games promoting other so-called ‘illegal activities’ such as shooting people, crashing cars and throwing birds at buildings.”
Weed Farm was essentially a tycoon game centered around growing and subsequently dealing weed to questionable characters. Per the game’s own description, it involved “crooked cops, relentless gangsters, horny dancer Jane, [and] a variety of weed types.”
The 17+ age requirement was apparently not enough to ensure a spot on the virtual shelves of the iTunes App Store, so Apple ordered a remake of the title.
“One thing we can promise you is that we will be back! The Apple version might need to be censored a bit to comply with Apple's strictest requirement since they are going to be looking very attentively at what we submit from now on. Google never had a problem with the application itself. The problem was with our publisher and we are expecting to return to the Play store once we find a suitable publisher.”
Pulling the good-guy-Google card may not be the smartest thing to do when faced with a rejected iOS app, knowing the intense rivalry between the two giants. Especially if you want your app returned to its rightful place in the App Store. Nevertheless, Apple will be compelled to approve it if the tweaked version eliminates all assets that can be deemed questionable.
But Manitoba Games goes even further, calling Apple hypocrites.
“If we let hypocrites determine what content is suitable for us we will soon all be watching teletubbies instead of Breaking Bad and playing... oh I don't know… nothing good comes to mind, without some form of ‘illegal activity’ or other really.”
A game that basically teaches you the nuts and bolts of the cannabis selling business is enough reason to raise eyebrows. Manitoba Games were lucky to have it featured in the App Store at all.