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Foxconn suicide-inspired game arrives on Android a month after App Store removal

Foxconn suicide-inspired game arrives on Android a month after App Store removal

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Permanent save state 2
Permanent save state 2

Exactly one month ago, In a Permanent Save State was removed from Apple's App Store an hour after it went live in violation of the company's app guidelines. Today, Benjamin Poynter's game, inspired by the real-life suicides at Foxconn's electronic manufacturing plants, has returned and is currently available through the Google Play Store for $0.99. The game does not guide players through the course of the suicides, but instead provides a portrayal of what seven overworked laborers go through in the spiritual afterlife.

Apple was not entirely clear as to what rules In a Permanent Save State violated, though sources suggest that it was because the game contained depictions which "solely target a specific race, culture, a real government or corporation, or any other real entity." Google's Developer Program does not contain the same exact guidelines, nor does it provide any clearly defined rules that may cause the game to be removed from the Google Play Store. Given the sensitive nature of the recent events, however, Poynter's game may still experience the same fate on another platform.