Bimmy NES Emulator Pulled from the App Store—But Why?

A new game emulator app, best known as the Bimmy NES Emulator, made its way to the Apple App Store, but it was short-lived. The developer himself pulled it out of the distribution platform.

It was initially removed from the App Store shortly after it went live, and the developer, Tom Salvo, revealed that he intentionally and voluntarily removed the game.

The name may have been conflicting, being called an "NES" emulator, but it remains unclear if it refers to the renowned Nintendo retro console.

Bimmy NES Emulator Pulled Out of the App Store

After the announcement of developer Tom Salvo about his emulator, Bimmy NES Emulator's availability on the App Store, it was shortly removed.

Initially, Redditors thought Apple was behind the removal of the Bimmy emulator app, but their speculations have no explanation or basis either. Other users said that it was initially offered as a paid app, and when there were already purchases, it was made free to download.

Both free and paid app downloads from those who have already got it claimed that it was later gone from their devices, signaling its removal.

Why Did the Developer Remove his Emulator?

It was reported by 9to5Mac that Salvo said "I removed the app out of fear. No one reached out to me." It is a voluntary decision for the developer to rid the App Store of his latest emulator app, despite Apple's recent decision to allow the experience on iOS and iPadOS.

The name NES on his app draws closely to Nintendo's retro gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as the 8-bit, third-generation home console from the Japanese media conglomerate.

Moreover, it is widely known that Nintendo is massively against emulators, particularly with the Yuzu Switch emulator, which gave up the lawsuit and paid $2.4 million to the company.

Apple's Foray into Game Emulators

Back in early April, Apple revealed the new update on its App Store guidelines which talked about the possibility of having game emulators arrive on the app distribution platform for the world to download.

The company's move was rooted in its compliance with the EU DMA, but the Cupertino giant decided that this availability would be worldwide and not exclusive to the region only.

That being said, among the first additions of emulators on the Apple App Store were Game Boy emulators, alongside other retro console apps.

Among these was the iGBA Game Boy emulator, a full suite GB emulator capable of running Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Color titles via ROMs downloaded from the web, opening the gates after Apple's change of heart.

Before this, Apple blocked all game emulator apps on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, with the company going against piracy and unofficial game licenses via downloadable ROMs.

However, Apple is not the only one to be worried about for these game emulators, as other companies who own rights may pursue them-and while Salvo's decision to pullout remains unknown, Bimmy is no longer accessible on the App Store.