A developer report suggests that a number of Star Wars-themed iOS games published by THQ Wireless will be pulled from the iTunes App Store at the end of the month due to the expiration of a license agreement.
A developer report suggests that a number of Star Wars-themed iOS games published by THQ Wireless will be pulled from the iTunes App Store at the end of the month due to the expiration of a license agreement. Vertigore Games developer Josh Shabtai, who worked on THQ's Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner for iPhone and iPod Touch, writes in a blog post that he's received word the title will be pulled off the iTunes App Store after March 31 because THQ's licensing agreement with Lucasfilm is "winding down." iTunes currently lists 28 Star Wars-based apps published by THQ Wireless on the App Store, including five distinct games. THQ recently sold its wireless division to Swedish firm 24MAS. The situation highlights a major difference between developing licensed games for retail -- where a licensing agreement only need to cover the game's initial release -- and in the digital realm -- where a game can disappear entirely if a license isn't maintained in perpetuity. Removing an app from the App Store doesn't disable versions that had been purchased previously, but it does limit existing purchasers' ability to re-download the app, or for the developer to offer updates. Last year, Microsoft removed several classic Midway titles from Xbox Live Arcade due to "evolving rights and permissions," according to Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb.
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