Apple extinguishes popular marijuana growing game 'Weed Firm' from iOS App Store

Posted:
in iPhone edited May 2014
Popular free iOS game "Weed Firm," which reached No. 1 on the App Store charts, was removed by Apple on Wednesday, drawing criticism from the developer due to the continued availability of other applications that feature illegal activity.




Manitoba Games issued a statement on its website this week saying that the removal of Weed Firm from the App Store was "entirely Apple's decision." They went on to note that a number of weed-based applications remain available, "as well as games promoting other so-called 'illegal activities' such as shooting people, crashing cars and throwing birds at buildings."

The developer has pledged to edit the game and bring it back to the App Store in a new, censored form. Manitoba Games touted the openness of Google's Android platform, and said Weed Firm will remain "as censorship free as possible" on non-iOS devices.

"We do not want kids playing Weed Firm, but we firmly believe that adults should have a choice to do whatever the hell they want as long as they are not hurting anybody in the process," the developer said.

In the game, "Weed Firm" players could grow and sell their own marijuana, all while interacting with gangsters and criminals in an effort to maximize profits. Its removal was first noted on Wednesday by Cnet.

Apple's App Store review process has always been something of a mystery and point of frustration for some developers. The company requires that all applications be reviewed and approved before they are made available to download, ensuring quality control and also restricting the availability of objectionable content.




But inappropriate applications do occasionally slip through the cracks and must be pulled after they have been made available. It's unknown exactly why Apple opted to pull "Weed Firm," however, given that it was approved for the App Store and comparable applications continue to remain available.

For example, as of Wednesday afternoon, the App Store still offers "Weed Farmer," "Weed Tycoon," and "iRoll Up Friends," three marijuana-related games that feature similar subject matter.

Apple first began to pull back the curtain on its review process in 2010 when it published its App Store Review Guidelines. Those have been continuously updated ever since, in an effort to explain to developers what kinds of content are considered unacceptable on the App Store.

Last October, Apple announced that there were more than 1 million apps available on the iOS App Store for iPhone and iPad. At that time, users had downloaded more than 60 billion applications in the App Store's history.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 70
    moreckmoreck Posts: 187member
    Why doesn't Apple just implement a ratings system a la the ESRB?
  • Reply 2 of 70
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Bad decision by Apple. What's wrong with a game about weed?

     

    Games like Grand Theft Auto are on the app store.

     

    And weed is not illegal everywhere, it is legal in a few states, and it is medically legal in many more states. It's only a matter of time before it is legal in most places. Ignorant people, corrupt politicians, big pharmacy and alcohol producers will not be able to stop it.

     

    Everybody should smoke weed, it's much better and less harmful than alcohol. Prohibition never works, and I recommend that everybody breaks the law. 

  • Reply 3 of 70
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member

    Illegal activity?!

     

    What about GTA and every other video game that features antiheroes?

     

    What's next, are they going to remove BREAKING BAD from iTunes?

     

    Illegal activity!

  • Reply 4 of 70
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    Everybody should smoke weed, it's much better and less harmful than alcohol.


    Uhh?  Everybody should get drunk, it's much better and less harmful than heroin.

    See how illogical that thinking is (probably the weed talking)?

     

    Nothing against weed smokers- go for it.  But I'd rather not smoke weed unless I get a painful disease of some sort.

  • Reply 5 of 70
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member

    Jobs would've opposed this decision

  • Reply 6 of 70
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

    And weed is not illegal everywhere, it is legal in a few states....

     

    Everybody should smoke weed, it's much better and less harmful than alcohol. 


     

    Just because a particular state removed its laws against it doesn't mean it's not illegal.  There are still federal laws against it.  So this is simply incorrect.

     

    I've seen what pot does to people who can't see what it's doing to them.  No one should use recreational drugs.  Since that's true, I don't mind taking any and all flak for saying it.

     

    As for Apple removing the game from the store, they're a business, and if they think the detriment to their image for having that particular game in the store is weightier than the perceived business benefit should they keep it, it makes sense for them to make that decision.  GTA may be profitable enough for them that said profit outweighs the reputation hit they may take for keeping it.  I'm not saying that's right, just that it's business.

     

    On the other hand Apple does plenty of other things because they feel it's 'right' even if it doesn't 'make business sense'.

  • Reply 7 of 70
    coxnvoxcoxnvox Posts: 50member

    I guess Apple will pass on grass...good to know they are pulling the weeds when they need to...

  • Reply 8 of 70
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by jinglesthula View Post

     

    Just because a particular state removed its laws against it doesn't mean it's not illegal.  There are still federal laws against it.  So this is simply incorrect.


     

    Yes, the feds are still against it, but eventually they will have to cave, because more and more states are going to jump on the legalization bandwagon.

     

    History has shown that prohibition has the opposite effect.

  • Reply 9 of 70
    arlorarlor Posts: 532member

    So it's okay for an app to feature illegal activity, unless the bad press it generates starts to embarrass Apple?

  • Reply 10 of 70
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Andysol View Post

     

    Nothing against weed smokers- go for it.  But I'd rather not smoke weed unless I get a painful disease of some sort.


     

    And I don't have any problems with you, if you choose not to partake. That's your choice of course. I do have problems with those who believe that they should decide what others should do and not do.

  • Reply 11 of 70
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arlor View Post

     

    So it's okay for an app to feature illegal activity, unless the bad press it generates starts to embarrass Apple?


     

    The App Store has plenty of apps depicting "illegal" activity, including "Grand Theft Auto." One might assume Apple got a complaint, which led to the takedown. Frankly, the rules seem a bit uneven and are randomly applied, but it is Apple's store and they ultimately make the decisions to sell whatever they want.

  • Reply 12 of 70

    Legal or not, Apple doesn't want a game that involves growing weed.

    But games that involve killing animals or people? (an activity that's most certainly illegal) and shoot-em-up games? No problem. 

  • Reply 13 of 70
    andysolandysol Posts: 2,506member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post

     

     

    And I don't have any problems with you, if you choose not to partake. That's your choice of course. I do have problems with those who believe that they should decide what others should do and not do.


    Honestly- I'm all for weed smokers.  All for it.  I need people dumber than me so it makes my rise to the top easier ;)

  • Reply 14 of 70
    yojimbo007yojimbo007 Posts: 1,165member
    Inconsistent and bad decision by apple!
    Just adopt a rating system!

    Whats up Apple ..u want to push more and more people to android? Or make ios a baby brand ?
  • Reply 15 of 70
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:



    Originally Posted by Andysol View Post

     

    Honestly- I'm all for weed smokers.  All for it.  I need people dumber than me so it makes my rise to the top easier ;)


     

    That would be a gross misconception on your part, because many awesome things have been made under the influence of weed.

     

    If somebody is dumb to begin with, then they will of course continue to remain dumb, no matter what they do or what they take, but weed does not necessarily make smart people dumber. It can be said that weed enlightens the mind and opens up lanes of creativity.

     

    The stereotypes of weed users are not accurate at all. Not all weed users are glued to their couches, watching tv and eating cheetos all day long. And weed doesn't make "negro" men go out and rape white women. That's what they used to say before about it. And what they're saying about it today is not correct either. It's all lies.

  • Reply 16 of 70
    chandra69chandra69 Posts: 638member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by bloggerblog View Post

     

    Jobs would've opposed this decision


    Its not acid. :)

  • Reply 17 of 70
    vaporlandvaporland Posts: 358member
    Break out the Cheetos and pepperidge farms goldfish.

    This from the company founded by a couple of guys who smoked enough of it, back in the day.

    Now the only thing they consume at One Infinite Loop is Kool-Aid - quite a bit of it apparently. . .
  • Reply 18 of 70
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    Hey Dev, why even release an iOS app if you hate the App Store policies. Oh, money.

    Perhaps it's not the real reason the app got pulled.
  • Reply 19 of 70
    ddawson100ddawson100 Posts: 513member

    I do like it as simple as it is. It immediately reminded me of a crass version of lemonade stand - balancing creating supply with a few risks.

  • Reply 20 of 70
    metrixmetrix Posts: 256member

    Isn't this Apple's choice to do what it wants to do?

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