Apple removes games featuring Confederate flags from App Store

Pop quiz: you’re in charge of a giant digital game store, and suddenly there’s a controversy revolving around how and when people display the US Confederate flag. Apple is wading into that murky territory today, it seems.

The note Apple sent, according to Mulholland: “We are writing to notify you that your app has been removed from the App Store because it includes images of the Confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways”.

Hunted Cow confirmed that “Civil War 1862“, “Civil War 1863“, “Civil War 1864” and “Civil War Gettysburg” were removed from the App Store. The developers of Civil War games are reportedly shocked, saying they used the Confederate flag in a historical context, not in support of its ideals. Apple told the developers at Game-Labs that the game could be reinstated if the Confederate flag were removed.

Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” didn’t try to amend his movie to look more comfortable. Games Labs’ Ultimate General: Gettysburg, for example, is no longer available. We believe that all historical art forms: books, movies, or games such as ours, help to learn and understand history, depicting events as they were. We really hope that Apple’s decision will achieve the desired results. “We are not removing apps that display the Confederate flag for educational or historical uses”. We study the ugly side of American history in part so we will not repeat it.

Officials in a number of southern states, including South Carolina, have called for the removal of the flag from state buildings, while retailers including Walmart, Sears, Amazon, and eBay have pulled all Confederate flag merchandise from their stores. The South Carolina House of Representatives is expected to debate the issue.