Google Play version deleted! / Zaccaria Android announcement

[QuickAceItsA2ndChance]

Google Play just deleted the old Zaccaria app due to "sexuel content" and Zaccaria has much to say on the matter:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2013008888817363&id=1295457587239167

 

[Kolchak357]

Thanks QuickAce. That is just silly about being removed from the google play store. It’s turning into the 1950’s. But good to hear the new mobile versions are still on the way. Here’s the announcement for those not on Facebook.




Today I would like to share some news about Zaccaria Pinball on the Google play store and the new Zaccaria Pinball app that is coming in the future.

As some of you may have noticed recently the Zaccaria Pinball app is no longer available in the Google Play Store. Due to violations of “sexuel content” the app has been removed from the store and is currently not available. To go into detail this was because there were some possible “nipples” seen on the Farfalla table

Even though the app is not available in the store, all the current app owners can still play Zaccaria Pinball as long they have it installed. We will however not bring the App back or update our old app anymore.

Uninstalling the app means you lose the app and the ability to play it.

At the end of 2018 we talked about a new app coming out for the mobile (Android/iPhone) and would like to let everyone know that this is still the case and is one of the platforms we are currently working on.
The new mobile version will have:
- Better graphics
- Better gameplay
- Less bugs
- All the different settings and customization the old version never had
- All remake, award and retro tables
- Story & campaign mode
- 3 New EM Tables: Granada, Tophand and Tropical
- Extra game modes such as Lamphunter, Target Eliminator, 90 Second, Survival, Challenge and Checkpoint

Ultimately, the new app will be better, have more tables and will be overall an improvement over the older app. Sadly we cannot give any of our old players discounts or coupons for the new app.

Because we did not have our own database in the app we do not know which email address or which account is linked to transactions, therefore making it impossible for us to track those who bought a particular product and those who did not. IF we did, this would be a different story.

The pricing for the tables in the new app will be better and we will support it with updates. Our intention is to keep all platforms updated and run the same game.

Our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.

 

[Citizen]

So much for keeping the old version when I get a new phone. Gotta love the digital age.

 

[QuickAceItsA2ndChance]

I never once took any notice of anything sexy going on with Zaccaria. Now I see what the problem was. It's mostly just the Farfalla's selection icon. If they had softened those clothed nipple images, this wouldn't have happened. But it's a silly issue anyway, regarding the suggestion of a woman's nipples being objectionable content.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I guess Google really nipped it in the bud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHYiyv68q2o

 

[Kolchak357]

Lol ^

 

[kinggo]

Nipples, nipples everywhere...... ( . )( . )

 

[Xanija]

Although I haven't played Zaccaria Pinball on my tablet for a long time and haven't installed it on my new tablet, I really hate this. Especially not doing a probably small effort to bring the app back to the store is not exactly customer friendly.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Pretty ****ty.

Time to find an APK and side load it.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Although I haven't played Zaccaria Pinball on my tablet for a long time and haven't installed it on my new tablet, I really hate this. Especially not doing a probably small effort to bring the app back to the store is not exactly customer friendly.

The Google Play app review process is pretty strict and not very collaborative.

Your app will be taken down without notice and very little you can do about it from the perspective of the developer.

There are a number of medium articles from Android developers describing just how ****ty this process is, and how it directly impacts upon their livelihoods as Android developers.

I really feel for Magic Pixel here because I think this is exactly what's happened to them.

 

[wilbers]

If its been in the store for awhile, surely it would be better for Google to have a policy to give x days notice to the developer to change the app before taking it down if not changed. Probably could have changed it in 2 hours given the chance.

Are these sort of shenanigans common? - I don't game on my phone (its a very basic smartphone), all my gaming is on Steam.

 

[Captain Caveman]

If its been in the store for awhile, surely it would be better for Google to have a policy to give x days notice to the developer to change the app before taking it down if not changed. Probably could have changed it in 2 hours given the chance.

Are these sort of shenanigans common? - I don't game on my phone (its a very basic smartphone), all my gaming is on Steam.

They could update the app to remove what Google is rejecting and be back in the store next week.. why they won't doesn't make sense to me

 

[jaredmorgs]

They could update the app to remove what Google is rejecting and be back in the store next week.. why they won't doesn't make sense to me

From what I understand it doesn't work like that with Google.

They take it down and revoke your app deployment keys.

 

[Captain Caveman]

From what I understand it doesn't work like that with Google.

They take it down and revoke your app deployment keys.

Wow, that sucks but it looks like apple users will have to pay again too from a post i read on facebook..

 

[Kolchak357]

Wow, that sucks but it looks like apple users will have to pay again too from a post i read on facebook..

Yes, it appears that way. But they are usually very fair with their pricing. So it shouldn’t hurt too much, I hope.

 

[Xanija]

By the way, is this practice legal by Google? I mean, I paid 19€ for this game and all of a sudden Google decides: Hey, we don't like the content any more, bad luck for you. We're keeping you money though. And by legal I mean: Even if they have it in their licensing terms and conditions, I would be surprised if it is a clause which wouldn't be against the law.

 

[jaredmorgs]

By the way, is this practice legal by Google? I mean, I paid 19€ for this game and all of a sudden Google decides: Hey, we don't like the content any more, bad luck for you. We're keeping you money though. And by legal I mean: Even if they have it in their licensing terms and conditions, I would be surprised if it is a clause which wouldn't be against the law.

That's something you'd need to check with your lawyer.

This isn't Google's first Rodeo so I'm confident they have watertight terms and conditions surrounding app takedowns and player entitlements.

maybe you should do some digging and see what you uncover. it may also be different per country or jurisdiction.

 

[jaredmorgs]

Also remember that because we are on Android we can also sideload APK that a kind forum member may or may not have backed up for us.

It would be interesting to see if somebody could provide one of the forum members with the latest APK and see if we could sideload and then re-download our in game entitlements.

If those in game entitlements are managed through the Google Play entitlement system then we are screwed.

 

[Xanija]

I think they just do it and unless nobody cares, they keep the money. I will ask for a refund, once I don't get an "unknown error". Lets see, what happens. And T&C's are more often than not everything else than watertight, it's just nobody wants to spend time and money chasing these kind of relatively small amounts and that why they get away with it.

 

[Spork98765]

Also remember that because we are on Android we can also sideload APK that a kind forum member may or may not have backed up for us.

It would be interesting to see if somebody could provide one of the forum members with the latest APK and see if we could sideload and then re-download our in game entitlements.

If those in game entitlements are managed through the Google Play entitlement system then we are screwed.

On install the app tries to connect to a server that is no longer in existence. so no entitlements, no nothing.

I scraped the install APK off of the one device I Still had it installed on and tried to install it on a newer tablet I hadn't ever installed any games on, and no joy as described.