San Diego, CA – Social Media Executive and notable entrepreneur John Matze is calling out Apple for the Tech Giants refusal to list his election-themed video game on the App Store.
Background:
Grand Theft Trump (GTT) is a light-hearted, satirical romp that follows a cartoon Donald Trump through his quest to scoop up money and votes. Produced in retro 8-bit format, GTT pays homage to classic video games while using actual quotes and “mean tweets” from Trump himself to fend off the news media, Kamala Harris, the FBI, and more. The game is a satirical commentary and aims to hit a sweet spot to make players consider why they love or hate Trump, using a collection of real sourced social media posts and speeches.
Google promptly approved GTT for the Play Store, but Apple has thus far refused in typical head-scratching fashion saying the game is, “defamatory,” “involved in mockery of …Donald Trump” and is, “likely to harm a targeted individual or group.”
Please see GTT on Play here. See GTT on desktop here.
Apple strangely allows other Trump themed games. Unlike Grand Theft Trump which is themed with real source material from Trump, other games which Apple allows like “Whack your Boss Trump Land” allow you to assassinate the former president by pushing him off a tree.
Other games allowed by Apple let you build a wall. Other apps like “Dump Trump” let you play as a turd version of Trump and even have more than one million downloads.
This is not Mr. Matze’s first dust-up with Apple. In 2021, Apple selectively removed Parler, the social media site he founded, from the App Store after it hit #1 on the platform and was scapegoated for the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. John is a consistent and vocal critique of Apple’s policies, calling them anti-competitive, hypocritical, and anti-consumer. In July 2016 Apple blocked Matze’s political satire game about Hilary Clinton before ultimately changing their position in the face of public pressure.
See the full correspondence with Apple here.
Facts and Talking Points:
- Apple and its iOS operating system control 60 percent of the US market and over 30 globally.
- The App Store generates a staggering $85 billion in annual revenue, a lion’s share of the global market. App Store charges developers up to 30% revshare for items sold on Apple, and there is no alternative way to deliver apps to iPhones.
- Most of the 30% cost is passed directly on to consumers.
- Apple requires apps to endure an arduous approval process that is arbitrary and devoid of transparency, putting a tremendous burden of cost and uncertainty on developers, particularly smaller shops trying to break into the market.
- In 2023, Apple denied App Store access to 2 million apps, limiting consumer choice and hurting entrepreneurs.
- Hypocrisy at the Tech Giant is rampant. Apple can remove apps or shut down any Apple device as they see fit. For example, Apple could block services actively provided to the iPhones of Russian Oligarchs in concert with Western Sanctions, but chooses instead to limit American entrepreneurs and developers while empowering authoritarian regimes.
“Apple’s ‘walled-garden’ approach is just an excuse to exploit developers and consumers. Apple routinely causes delays in regular updates that jeopardize individual security, unfairly censors and bans apps, and costs developers billions of dollars in arduous compliance efforts, all in blind pursuit of thier $85 billion in annual revenue generated through thier exorbitant 30% fee. Apple stifles innovation and must be held to account,’ said John Matze. “Now, as we see Apple arbitrarily blocking our Trump video game, despite allowing countless others, on bogus ‘defamation’ charges,’ it seems they are either moronically tone deaf, or deliberately interfering in the 2024 election. We need to shine a light on Apple’s abuses and their anti-competitive behavior. Consumers and lawmakers need to pressure Apple to allow sideloading so that consumers and developers are not held hostage by the whim of a handful of mods. We must demand Apple stop self-dealing and allow fair access to their products.”
On John Matze:
John Matze (Mates) is the CEO of Hedgehog and Matze Software. He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Parler, taking the social media platform from nothing to number one on the app store with 15 million accounts. A committed defender of Free Expression, John brings a unique perspective and seasoned commentary at the intersection of business, technology, and public policy.
Play Online
Play Grand Theft Trump Campaign Simulator here on web or in a new tab.
https://grandthefttrump.matze.com/login
Play on Android
Play Grand Theft Trump on Android.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.matze.prez_campaign&pli=1