The app, dubbed Play Instantly!, let subscribers play dozens of iPad games over streaming Wi-Fi for $6.99 per month. It was not only the first subscription game service offered in the App Store, but also the first cloud-based one to our knowledge. To date, App Store games have only been available for individual, one-time purchase and download.
A spokesperson for Big Fish Games said in an email accompanying the original announcement Wednesday that the company "worked collaboratively with Apple over several weeks to ensure the service met all their guidelines" and that "it was handled via [Apple's] standard submission and review process." Apple wanted "to verify that the service we were offering was a good customer experience and that the value proposition warranted a recurring monthly charge," the spokesperson added.
It's not clear why Apple has pulled the game, nor if it intends to introduce game subscriptions to the App Store in the near future. Apple commentator John Gruber suggested the app might have been accidentally approved by an App Store reviewer in violation of App Store guidelines, despite what appears to have been a lengthy collaboration period.