My game has been live since 2018 and I’ve been updating it recently to add some improvements because it’s been a few years (last update was 2020).
I got hit with a couple of basic issues with the screenshots but I was told I can release that version anyway and fix it in a later update. I spent yesterday fixing those issues because they were minor, and resubmitted my app to review.
This morning I was hit with another rejection for a new issue, 4.3(b) Design Spam. The reason being it’s a game in a saturated category (Beer Pong) and so I should reconsider the app concept. This game has been live for 7 years. In those 7 years the category may have become saturated, but it wasn’t when I originally released it, so stopping me from updating it feels extremely unfair. If this was a brand new app I would still be upset but I would understand.
Another reason was that it’s based on a drinking game, and that it encourages people to drink alcohol. I stated in the age rating section that it heavily contains alcohol references, although you never actually see anyone drinking. There are Beer Pong games that feature characters drinking the beer, mine is so inextreme in comparison.
What bugs me the most is if I hadn’t fixed the screenshots it would be live by now, yet I feel I’m being punished for following the rules.
Can anyone on here give me some advice on how to proceed? I have to say this entire dilemma has really taken the wind out of my sails. If this update doesn't get accepted I'll have wasted about two months of development time I could've spent on a different project.