Visual Novel Game Rejection due to Design 4.3 (a) Spam

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Review
fdperez OP
Created 1d
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Hello,

My company is developing an interactive story game (or a visual novel with multiple ongoing and updated stories). We've added a few unique features to add value to our proposal, but we have been rejected due to Design 4.3 (0) Spam two times now.

When trying to get more information from the message from the App Review team, we're only getting what we believe are automated responses

Here's the message to our first submission:

Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam

We noticed your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences.

Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps.

Next Steps

Since we do not accept spam apps on the App Store, we encourage you to review your app concept and submit a unique app with distinct content and functionality

After the first rejection, we looked into the game and make substantial changes to the core interfaces and gameplay of the game. In particular, we modified the way users access the stories and introduced new added value by linking storylines to unique, unlockable and collectible outfits. We've also invested in voice over feature for the storylines, which we plan on expanding on in the future.

With this new revision, we submitted the new bundle. This was the response:

Hello,

The issues we previously identified still need your attention.

If you have any questions, we are here to help. Reply to this message in App Store Connect and let us know.

it seems that our assumption was incorrect, and now we're puzzled. Is it the interactive story game market that is saturated? Are we not allowed to do visual novels on the App Store any longer? Is it something in our UX/UI that is triggering this rejection?

We have no answers.

Please note that the game has been fully and entirely developed by us, and there isn't any part of the game that has been stolen or duplicated. That includes, images, stories, audio, metadata, and, of course, the binary and source code.

Does anyone have any insight or suggestion on how to proceed? We have tried to schedule a "One-on-one App Review consultation" with a specialist, but our requests have also been rejected.

Any help or guidance will be immensely appreciated.

Thank you all in advance.

Replies  2
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fdperez OP
1d

To add to this case, and for better understanding of the issue, we've noticed that there's not been any activity on our servers during the second review of the game. The evaluation seems to have been taken without actually evaluating the in-game changes we've made.

We did find server activity during the first review. The game had a dating simulation feature (think of profile swiping between fictional characters to unlock storylines), and we assumed that having a “dating" resemblance was not in accordance to the 4.3 design guidelines (the one that explains developers should refrain from piling up on already saturated categories, such as dating).

Hope this makes things a bit clearer.

Thanks again for any insight or feedback on how to get things right.

0
App Review OP
Apple
1d

If you disagree with the outcome of our review, you may consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board.When filing your appeal, make sure to:

  • Provide specific reasons why you believe your app complies with the App Review Guidelines.

  • Submit only one appeal per rejection.

  • Respond to any requests for additional information before submitting an appeal.

The App Review Board will contact you directly as soon as they've completed their investigation.

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Visual Novel Game Rejection due to Design 4.3 (a) Spam
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