Bliz Studio - Trixel Rocket Devlog 07

Here is the 7th devlog for my indie game Trixel Rocket. App rejected by App Store but have made downloaded a new SDK and am now back Waiting for Review Website: http://bliz.studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blizstudio/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blizstudioga... Twitter: https://tw

This Trixel Rocket devlog is the one every mobile dev eventually records: the App Store rejection episode. The build got bounced the day before, the culprit was an ad network SDK, and the fix was already resubmitted by recording time. Here is what happened and what to take from it.

Why Apple rejected the build

The rejection came down to the SDK from the ad network integration. Apple flagged the version that was in the build - even though it had been downloaded only ten days earlier. In those ten days a new updated version of the SDK had been released, and Apple wanted the current one. If you are integrating third-party SDKs near launch, assume they can go stale in days, not months, and re-check versions right before you submit.

The fix and the resubmission

The recovery was straightforward: pull the app out of the review process to stop it, drop in the freshly downloaded SDK version, and push the build back up. At recording time the game was back to waiting for review. The previous trip through review took about 24 hours, though whether Apple's reviewers work weekends was an open question.

What is waiting on approval

The launch plan is deliberately sequenced behind the review. Once the game is approved, it goes up for pre-order, and only then does the launch trailer get posted - no date announcements until Apple signs off, because the pre-order and launch dates will be set based on when approval actually lands. The trailer is something to look forward to: Louis Thompson, who did all the sound design, sound effects, and music composition for the game, turned in phenomenal work.

The mindset takeaway

The whole episode is framed the right way: these are personal challenges to push through, not reasons to stall. Plenty of other game developers hit these exact same issues, help from friends who have been through it goes a long way, and every rejection teaches you a piece of how the machine works. Keep pushing forward - it works out in the end. And momentum matters: with this game nearly out the door, the next project is already planned, a follow-on that continues the Trixel Rocket theme.