[pauldanielash]

Developers have passed word to Touch Arcade that Ravensword: The Fallen King - along with a number of other games built on the Unity game engine - have been rejected by Apple from the App Store. API calls used in the games were reportedly used by one company to obtain players phone numbers in violation of the iPhone SDK agreement.

Storm8, the company behind multiplayer games like iMobsters and Vampires Live, has been sued for using private, unpublished API calls to harvest game users' phone numbers and uploaded them to its servers. The suit alleges:

Storm8 has written the software for all its games in such a way that it automatically accesses, collects, and transmits the wireless telephone number of each iPhone user who downloads any Storm8 game... Storm8, though, has no reason whatsoever to access the wireless phone numbers of the iPhones on which its games are installed.

The publisher of Ravensword, Chillingo, noted that the API calls in question - _NSGetEnviron and exc_server - are used to obtain environment variables used by the .NET core APIs the game was built with, and for exception handling. The company has said that the problem APIs "have been removed," and that they had resubmitted the game for App Store approval.

Apple's aggressive policing of apps it permits to be available on the iTunes App Store has been a source of irritation in the developer community, often because of complaints of poor communication of what is permitted and prohibited. In this instance, there appears to be a perception of guilt by association simply because programmers implemented certain calls that had been unethically used by others. In many cases, according to people on the Unity discussion forums, apps were rejected even though they lacked the network functionality to send any data.

Hopefully, removal of the offending code will result in the apps eventually getting approved, but the delay - and expense - is further irritating the companies involved, and does nothing for Apple's image among app developers.

video via Chillingo

[cellmate75]

This game looks awesome!

[jOnGarrett]

they have a link, but the download link not working.

Ravensword: The Fallen King Official Website

[plcrules]

looks like an amazing game

[NemiCZ]

like and amazing???
THIS IS AWESOOOOME
APPLE´s IDEA´s SUCKS!

[M4tt Dam0n]

I'm so looking forward to this game. Gonna be the best game on the iPhone.

[one1]

I'm not into all that wizards and warriors crap, but this is a very nicely built game based on the preview.

[Rota]

Believe it or not but I met the developer of this game on an RC airplane forum a few months back and got to see some previews. It looks amazing and I hope Apple gets that stick out of their asses and gets this through, I really want to play it.

[awesomeiPod]

The game looks great! Sounds like Apple is trying to piss off developers. Hate their SDK terms.

[screamforme02]

Apple Apple Apple... When will they let the masters work. its going to bite them in the bottom once android webOS even the windows market place pick up

[mylezman@gmail.com]

how can I download this game???!!!!!!!
Will it b ported 2 Cydia
PLZZZ!!!

[ifonemaniac]

Can sum1 email their devs "lol, cydia" and they'll respond like "doh! ur rite" auto-win ...GG

[PCeasar]

Actually I'll go against the grain here, I typically hate apple but I dont want any developer collecting all of my phone numbers. Shame on them whether they send the numbers or not thats invasive.

[rhekt]

sheistas! spammas! oh well doesnt look like a good game anyways

[elr0y7]

God damnit! I've been waiting for this game for weeks, I knew something was gonna come up with the AppStore review, damn Apple!