Running With Scissors isn’t happy that its 1997 third-person murder sim Postal has been rejected from being published on Google Play for Android. According to the studio, it was rejected based on its inclusion of “gratuitous violence.”
“Sadly this means it won’t be welcomed alongside the Grand Theft Auto series, Carmageddon and horde of Zombie games on Google Play,” writes Running With Scissors. It raises a good point, as those games are similarly violent and are available on Google Play. So why is Postal any different?
It may not be the game itself, it turns out. Recently, Google changed its app review policies, meaning that there are now experts who check every app submitted for publication on its Play store. Previously, the system was more lenient, relying on automated systems that let most apps through without question. Google also brought in an age-based rating system that all apps on the Play store are subjected to.
So, it seems that while games such as Grand Theft Auto and Carmageddon were able to easily get on to Google Play before, this new approval system may see them being rejected, if the situation with Postal is anything to go by. That’s presumably up to the panel of experts who review the apps.
The Postal series is known for its controversy, so while the tamer of them being rejected for its violence is somewhat unexpected, it’s something that Running With Scissors should be used to dealing with. “While this is disappointing for us, it won’t stop you from being able to play POSTAL on your favourite Android device. We are looking into Humble Store, Amazon and other Android App stores,” Running With Scissors said.
