Some of the most iconic games ever released were first found on the App Store. Games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, and Fruit Ninja all hold legendary status as some of the most influential and successful mobile games of all time. When developers and publishers realized the potential of the mobile gaming market, thousands of games flooded the App Store in hopes of becoming the next big hit.
While not every game on the App Store was as successful as Angry Birds, there were plenty of games to suit every type of gamer. However, as iOS continues to be updated, it becomes harder for developers to support their games, and these games are removed from the App Store and become unplayable.
Ten flight control
Flight Control was released for iOS devices in March 2009 and quickly became a success on the App Store. The game sold over 3.9 million copies for him, and multiple versions of the game are now available for his Mac, PC, and even PlayStation 3.
However, Flight Control’s publisher, Electronic Arts, quietly removed the game from the App Store in September 2015, citing a focus on newer, more popular titles.
9 Basement
Developed by Rake In Grass, Undercroft was originally released for iOS in 2009 and resembled old-school dungeon crawlers like Eye of the Beholder and Stonekeep. After being briefly delisted in September 2010, Undercroft was returned to the App Store by Jagex, the developer of Runescape, who purchased the Undercroft IP from Rake In Grass.
Amazingly, Undercroft is now available for free by Jagex. The game remained on the App Store for years until it was removed at an unknown date.
8 Horn
Developed by Phosphor Studios and published by Zynga in August 2012, Horn has been likened to a cross between Infinity Blade and The Legend of Zelda. Co-op in this game is similar to Infinity Blade, where you dodge attacks and slash your enemies at the right time. The game’s Zelda influence was evident in the game’s puzzles and exploration.
Horn was well received by critics and was even called a “mobile masterpiece” by Gamezebo’s Jim Squires. However, the game’s positive reviews failed to survive on iOS. Horn is no longer available on his App Store, and he has no word from Zynga as to whether the game will return to his iOS devices.
7 bioshock
Bioshock took the gaming world by storm when it was released in 2007. The game was praised for its impressive graphics and gameplay, and a new literary term, “ludonarrative dissonance”, was coined by game developer Clint Hocking in response to the game’s complex narrative.
In 2014, Bioshock was introduced to iOS devices and launched on the App Store for $14.99. The mobile version took a huge hit visually, but for the first time the entire game was available on the go. In June 2015, after the release of iOS 8.4, the game disappeared from his App Store. Developer 2K had promised to bring the game back to iOS devices, but it appears 2K has abandoned that idea.
6 Mass Effect: Infiltrator
Mass Effect: Infiltrator was developed by IronMonkey Studios and released on March 6, 2012 for iOS devices. The game takes place during the events of his Mass Effect 3, and you take on the role of Randall Ezno, an agent of Cerberus who slowly unravels the truth behind it. his organization.
Mass Effect: Infiltrator received middling reviews and lacked the RPG elements that fans love about the mainline Mass Effect games.Electronic Arts removed the game from the App Store in September 2015
Five Dead Space
Dead Space (Mobile), also developed by IronMonkey Studios, was released on iOS on January 25, 2011 and serves as a prequel to Dead Space 2. This game features the main character Carrie Norton. He is an engineer and newly converted unitologist who unwittingly causes an outbreak of necromorphs. Dead Space 2’s Sprawl.
The game performed better than Mass Effect: Infiltrator and received positive review scores from critics. However, Dead Space (mobile) was removed from the App Store in September 2015 at the same time as Mass Effect: Infiltrator.
Four monster hunter freedom united
Originally released on the PSP in 2008, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite arrived on iOS devices in 2014. Although the game’s touch controls were an issue, the game was still fairly well received.
In 2019, Capcom announced that the game would be removed from the App Store in September of the same year. At the time, it was the only Monster Hunter title available for play on mobile devices. Support for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite has been discontinued after the iOS 10.2 update, although players who have the game installed on their devices can continue to play the game.
3 fortnite
Fortnite is a monolithic giant of the video game industry, with millions of players around the world. Naturally, Fortnite developer and publisher Epic tried to bring the game to mobile, and in 2017 his Fortnite was released on the App Store.
However, Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store in 2020. Epic had implemented its own in-app payment system within the game to avoid the App Store’s 30 percent processing fee. As such, Apple delisted the game and Fortnite is nowhere to be found on the App Store.
2 infinity blade series
When Infinity Blade was released on iOS in late 2010, the world of mobile gaming changed. Developed by Chair and published by Epic, Infinity Blade utilized Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 and offered unparalleled visuals and graphics compared to his other iOS games at the time. The game was a huge hit and sold millions of copies. Following the success of Infinity Blade, Chair went on to develop his two sequels, Infinity Blade 2 and Infinity Blade 3.
Despite the success of the Infinity Blade trilogy, the games are no longer available on the App Store. In Epic’s press release, the Infinity Blade team stated that Chair has become difficult to support the game on his iOS.
1 flappy bird
Flappy Bird’s concept was deceptively simple. Tap the screen to guide the bird through a series of pipes. The more pipes you clear, the higher your score. Although it sounds easy, this game was actually quite difficult to play. It turns out to be easy to learn, difficult to master, and incredibly addictive.
In fact, the game was so addictive that the game’s creator, Dong Nguyen, voluntarily removed it from the App Store. In an interview with Forbes, Nguyen said that the game was intended to be used for relaxation and that he felt the addictive nature of the game was an issue.