Many iTunes Games Delisted, No Longer Redownloadable

Multiple high-profile iOS games delisted, removed from iTunes user purchase histories

By Danny Cowan October 6, 2015

user purchase histories altered on ios to prevent game redownloads ghosttrickremove header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Capcom’s acclaimed point-and-click adventure game Ghost Trick is among several high-profile titles that disappeared from the iTunes App Store over the past few weeks, and users report that affected games are no longer showing up in their purchase histories, rendering the apps completely inaccessible.

The removals follow the recent launch of Apple’s iOS 9 update, which introduced game-breaking bugs for Ghost Trick and thousands of other apps. Instead of addressing the issue, however, Capcom and other publishers are now opting to remove their games from Apple’s storefront entirely.

Ghost Trick‘s disappearance arrives in the wake of a mass-removal of several landmark iOS games published by Electronic Arts, including Flight Control and Real Racing. Unlike previous delistings, however, Ghost Trick‘s permanent removal from user purchase histories prevents paying customers from redownloading the game at a later date.

Currently, the only way players can retain a playable copy of the iOS version of Ghost Trick involves refusing the iOS 9 update and keeping the app in system storage indefinitely. Upgrading the device’s firmware will prevent Ghost Trick from progressing beyond a specific point during gameplay, and deleting the app will remove it permanently, with no option to redownload.

Touch Arcade warns that Ghost Trick‘s in-app purchase structure likely caused its current game-breaking issues. Players who had previously downloaded the game’s free first chapter were unable to buy and download subsequent episodes after applying the iOS 9 update.

Other games with a similar episodic structure were also removed from the App Store following the iOS 9 update. Touch Arcade reports that the majority of apps previously published by Telltale Games, including The Walking Dead, Back to the Future, The Wolf Among Us, Jurassic Park, and the Sam & Max games, are no longer available for purchase or redownload after the launch of iOS 9. 2K’s BioShock and EA’s Dead Space have also disappeared from user purchase histories after being removed from the App Store earlier this year.

Telltale notes that it is working on a fix for its missing apps, and assures that their App Store removal is temporary. 2K has similarly stated that BioShock is due to return after its issues are addressed.

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