Apple faces action for coercing Yahoo Japan to quash game platform: Report

Apple allegedly pressured Yahoo Japan to quash a game platform that offered competition to the App Store, prompting regulators in Japan to initiate an investigation, Nikkei Asian Review reported on Thursday.

Launched in July 2017, Yahoo Japan's Game Plus allows users to play games without needing to download apps and gives developers lesser restrictions in matters relating to sales, fees and software updates than Apple's App Store, the report said.

The platform elicited interests from a large number of companies including famed role-playing game maker Square Enix Holdings.

But Apple allegedly found this strategy of Yahoo Japan a direct threat to its model of App Store which contributes a big amount to the tech giant's revenue and pressurised Yahoo Japan to quash the platform.