Apple yanks Big Fish game subscription service from App Store

Hours after casual gaming marketplace Big Fish announced the launch of its cloud-based Play Instantly! subscription service for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad tablet, Apple unceremoniously removed the gaming application from its App Store.

"We were notified that the app was removed," Big Fish founder Paul Thelen tells Bloomberg. "We're trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened." An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

Big Fish rolled out Play Instantly! on Nov. 18, formally announcing its launch a week later. The service touted unlimited in-app access to dozens of casual titles, all streamed to users via Wi-Fi. Big Fish offered a premium monthly subscription option initially priced at $4.99 alongside a free version with limited daily access.

Although Apple supports subscription pricing for newspapers and magazines, as well as music and video services, it has resisted subscription models for mobile games. Big Fish states it worked closely with Apple to gain App Store approval: "It took longer than usual to be approved," Thelen says. "They needed to be convinced there's a reason to charge customers every month."

Big Fish previously said it plans to expand Play Instantly! to PCs and Macs as well as Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android mobile operating system in early 2012.

For more:
- read this Bloomberg article

Related articles:
Big Fish brings first game subscriptions to Apple's App Store
Apple eases App Store in-app subscription rules
Publishers balk at Apple's App Store subscription terms
Apple rolls out App Store subscription plans
Apple: Sony Reader Store rejection consistent with App Store policy