Okay, one of the main selling points of the all-digital distribution model was that you could download your games whenever you wanted.  Even if the publisher has removed the game after you purchased it you would still be able to access it (after all, you did pay for it).  Well, soon, that is not going to be the case, at least for Apple users.  Apple has recently announced that they will begin removing gams from user history if the publisher has removed the title from the App Store.  This is bad news and could be a harbinger of things to come from other digital distribution services.  There is one way to keep your games, even if they are removed from the App Store, or whatever service you are using.

In the case of Apple’s App Store for iOS devices there is an option to back up your library locally, this option may not be available on other platforms.  It is worth noting that only Apple has begun taking this step, at this time anyhow.  It could be a sign of the times if others pick up on this and add this caveat to their terms of service.  In the end, it only hurts the fans.

In an interview I did with the team recently this very problem was brought up.  Mike Kennedy poached the topic in support of their choice to go with cartridges for their console (which has since been removed from Indie GoGo).

How will gamers react if Microsoft and Nintendo and Sony were to begin doing this for their respective app stores?  For many gamers this could be a deal breaker in the future, for others it is a non-issue as they probably don’t even know they can download past purchases again.

For those that do care, speak up and raise hell about this and vote with your dollar.  If Apple sees significant backlash over this situation they may change their policy.