Once again, Foxconn is in the news. In A Permanent Save State, a game that addresses human rights violations that takes place at the factories where Apple (and pretty much every other major electronics entity) has their products produced, has been pulled from the App Store. According to The Verge, it was up for less than an hour.
The game has been described as a visually compelling piece of interactive narrative that presents the afterlives of seven abused factory workers who committed suicide at the factory. Which is a reference to real world events that stem as far back as 2010 (and is a problem that still persistents today).
According to the creator, Benjamin Poynter knew that his game would touch a nerve within Apple, but he felt the need to "to go all in" anyway, even knowing that his game would ultimately not last long in the App Store ecosystem.
Apple has a history of yanking games that they find objectionable, mostly titles that tread political waters, and especially whenever they themselves are the target.
A game somewhat similar to In A Permanent Save State, called Phone Story, which detailed the production of a device that bore a close resemblance to the iPhone, was similarly yanked. It also depicted the abuse that those who assemble the device must go through, along with environmental plus other forms of collateral damage.
Phone Story eventually found itself Apple's competing platform, and the same will be the case for In A Permanent Save State. It is scheduled to be on Android on November 12.
