Apple has asked some iOS game developers whose gameplay features weapons to remove these images from promotional images used in the App Store.
Developers at OrangePixel first raised the issue a few weeks ago, when an update for the company's game, Gunslugs 2, was rejected by the App Store "because this promo screenshot (and likely all screenshots from the game), depicted violence against a human being." This was despite the game being rated 12+ by the developer, and featuring pixelated characters with cartoony style explosions. The game app was eventually approved with these images, but was severely delayed due to the issue.
Recently, Pocket Gamer spotted more examples of Apple wanting to ban gun imagery. Developer Splash Damage has gone so far as to pixelate weapons in screenshots for the App Store, Tempo, and Team Chaos. It had to change the icon for Rooster Teeth vs Zombie, and remove an orange “Zapper” weapon from the hero’s hand. Pocket Gamer reports at least two other unnamed developers who are being forced to change the artwork for their iOS games, removing weapons.
Apple doesn't require games to avoid violence, as long as the previews people see when browsing the App Store don't show violence or even suggest violence through the presence of weapons in the images. The App Store guidelines don't seem to explicitly prohibit the depiction of violence in promo screenshots, though games that target children, animals, or a specific race with violence will be rejected. Official or not, this guideline seems to be applied rather haphazardly, with iOS games like Gang Nations and Bullet Rush showing weapons in their App Store listings without issue.
In December, Apple rejected the iOS version of the legendary game Papers, Please because of a brief nudity scene. Although the company later changed its mind about the decision, iOS games have been rejected for their themes of the ongoing Syrian civil war, prison conditions, and teaching women about masturbation.
However, the content of books available through iTunes does not have the same strict guidelines.
