Skip to main content

The Binding of Isaac’s abused boy gets rejected by Apple

the binding of isaac ios port rejected rebirth header
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a dirty, disgusting, and provocative game. It’s also great, as we discussed in our review of the much improved version of the original game, which was just labeled The Binding of Isaac. It features a religious narrative that brings up both child abuse and the bible in the same story. But despite its artistic qualities and responsive gameplay, Apple thinks it’s a little bit too much for iOS users to handle.

The developer had apparently applied for publishing rights on Apple’s App Store, but the response it got was pretty clear. Producer and co-developer of Rebirth (as well as the creator of the original game), Tyrone Rodriguez tweeted concerning the rejection.

“Your app contains content or features that depict violence towards, or abuse of, children, which is not allowed on the App.”

So much for that. The developer originally spoke of a possible iOS version back in 2014, but said that he would only release it if it wouldn’t be garbage. Since then, nobody had heard about the port until yesterday’s tweet. Understandably, Rodriguez didn’t take the news very well. His game criticizes domestic abuse more than anything, and the heavy cartoon influences should work in its favor when it comes to how severe the restrictions are with depictions of violence.

Isaac was previously published on Nintendo’s portable 3DS and its stationary Wii U console. The company behind iconic and family-friendly franchises like Super Mario and Kirby initially rejected the game for both gaming systems. The reason was said to be due to “questionable religious content.” But after some assistance from Nintendo’s former director of indie development, Dan Adelman, the developer was finally able to launch on Nintendo’s platforms last year, according to an interview with Rodriguez held by Polygon.

Before any talk of whether the iOS version of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth could pull through, whether the developer will keep trying to get the game published or not is still up in the air.

Editors' Recommendations

Dan Isacsson
Being a gamer since the age of three, Dan took an interest in mobile gaming back in 2009. Since then he's been digging ever…
iOS 17’s coolest new feature is horrible news for Android users
iOS 17 contact posters

At the end of 2022, Google implored Apple to “get the message” and end the green-versus-blue bubble controversy by adopting RCS messaging. Apple’s response eventually came at WWDC 2023, where it introduced a new iOS 17 feature called Contact Posters, which instead of bringing everyone together, only furthers the us-versus-them split between Android and iOS.

If you thought the green/blue iMessage arguments could get fiery, there’s a lot more to come.
Blue good, green bad

Read more
Everything Apple didn’t add to iOS 17
iOS 17 logo and renders on Apple's website.

Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote has come and gone, and with it came one of the biggest new announcements in years: Apple Vision Pro, which is Apple’s first foray into the VR/AR headset space. Of course, we also got software updates for existing products that we already have right now, including iOS 17 for the iPhone.

Before WWDC 2023 kicked off, there were a lot of rumors and speculation revolving around iOS 17 and what we would end up seeing —with the possibility of some “highly requested features from users.” Now that it’s been announced, it’s actually not as exciting as we thought, and some of the features that did get announced weren’t leaked.

Read more
Will my iPhone get iOS 17? Here’s every supported model
Someone holding an iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro next to each other.

Apple announced a slew of updates to iOS — the operating system for iPhones — at WWDC 2023. With iOS 17, the company is rolling out features to not only apps like Phone, Messages, Safari, and Maps, but it's also updating AirDrop to make it even better.

But with every new iOS update, it begs an important question: Will my iPhone be updated? Probably, but also maybe not. Here's every iPhone that will (and won't) be updated to iOS 17.
iOS 17 is compatible with iPhone Xs and newer
Apple iPhone 8 Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Read more