Sensor Tower data showed Apple removed more than 2,500 lucrative mobile gaming apps in the first week of July, potentially taking a hit to service revenue as it adjusts to meet local laws.

In a blog, mobile insights strategist for EMEA Craig Chapple said China had long been “the most lucrative mobile games market in the world”, generating an estimated $12.6 billion on the App Store alone in 2019.

The US company warned developers in late June it planned to begin enforcing longstanding Chinese licensing laws, which require companies to have government clearance to sell games in the country.

In November 2019, China also imposed restrictions on the time children could spend on mobile games due to fears around addiction, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Sensor Tower noted many of the apps targeted by Apple had previously been released without approval. The company estimated the titles removed generated a total $34.7 million in lifetime gross revenue in China.