Play To Earn Games Removed From Google and Apple Stores in South Korea

The South Korean government is stepping up against play to earn (P2E) games in the country by blocking the release of new P2E games and ordering existing games to be removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play

The Games Management Committee (GMC) in the country requested on Tuesday that any games that require in-app purchases prior to playing the game, will have to be removed from the app stores.

According to a GMC official, the committee is following a Supreme Court precedent in blocking P2E games from getting age ratings and being listed. He stated:

“It is reasonable to keep P2E games from getting age ratings under the current law because cash rewards in games can be considered prizes.”

To combat the rise of what it sees as speculative money-making schemes, the GMC is now restricting P2E game developers to get their work listed on the most popular mobile app stores.

The ban will affect all P2E gaming apps, including the two most popular games to-date, Axie Infinity and Splinterlands.

P2E gaming has been one of the surging trends of 2021 and seen massive adoption in especially Southeast Asia. Although the South Korean government has been actively pushing back on P2E games that could not obtain an age rating required for listing on app stores, its latest move came largely unexpected.