Just talked to Apple. The initial rejection for porn was a misunderstanding on their part. They suggested I resubmit with the nudity option.
— Lucas Pope (@dukope) December 12, 2014
The 2013 game casts you as a border control agent for the fictional country of Arstotzka. As the game goes on, the rules governing whom you can and cannot allow into the country grow increasingly complicated, as do the means at your disposal for determining who is eligible. One of the tools added later in the game is a full body scanner, much like those controversially instituted by the TSA in American airports in recent years. The scan is used to check for smuggled contraband.
In the original game, a menu option toggles whether the people are revealed in their underwear or fully nude. When the game was submitted by Pope for iPad, Apple originally rejected the feature as a violation of the company’s pornography policy, forcing Pope to remove the option.
Through subsequent conversations Pope was able to convince the censors otherwise. The feature has since been reinstated via an update, and can now be turned on from the options menu. The game’s rating has also been accordingly bumped up to 17+.
Papers, Please is available now for iPad only through the iOS App Store for $8.
