The Full Scoop: 'Echoes of Mana' Hit by Apple's Ranking Removal

Recently, players have been buzzing about the status of the mobile game 'Echoes of Mana'. Following its domestic release in June, eagle-eyed users noticed the game was missing from common third-party analytics platforms like Qimai, sparking rumors that it had been hit by Apple's 'ranking removal' (清榜).

For those unfamiliar with the term, 'ranking removal' (清榜) doesn't mean the game is deleted or that in-app purchases are disabled. Instead, the game disappears from all App Store charts. While players can still find it via direct search, it effectively acts as a 'shadowban' on promotional visibility, severely throttling organic user growth for a relatively new title.

As for the motive behind this penalty, the consensus is that the developer was caught red-handed attempting to manipulate reviews—a major violation of Apple's developer guidelines. While some fans were puzzled, citing that the game's community sentiment had been relatively positive, most agree that the developer’s clumsy attempt to boost metrics inevitably led to this disciplinary action.