The developer for Battlescribe says everything is fine with the app and not being abandoned, but the community has mixed feelings…
Updated August 25th, 2022: Apparently, Battlescribe is NOT being removed from the iOS store as the developer has emerged from a multi-year disappearance to make a statement.
Battlescribe Developer Says Everything is a-ok
Whelp, this is embarrassing. Apparently an expired credit card caused my iOS developer account to go down for a bit, meaning the app couldn’t be reached in the App Store.
It should be back up and running now/soon ❤
🤦♂️#warhammer #aos #wh40k
— BattleScribe (@BattleScribe) August 25, 2022
He said the removal is due to an old credit card and did not have to do with such a long spell in-between updates.
BUT!
It has not all been downtime over here. I have been experimenting with and researching new technologies to ensure BattleScribe is future proofed. This is work that has been sorely needed for a long time.
It is a huge job and there is still a lot to do…
— BattleScribe (@BattleScribe) August 25, 2022
We’ll have to see if the issues start getting fixed or if there will be updates soon. At this point, it seems better than just dying. Plus, if we actually start getting updates, some good might come out of the issues. As we said, the community reaction has been quite mixed on this subject.
You can learn more about the community’s reaction to the developer’s statement by clicking here.
Battlescribe Abandoned & Removed From the iOS App Store
We talked about how the Battlescribe developers had basically abandoned the project, but now it’s been so long since the last update Apple has deemed it abandonware, which means it is being removed.
If you already have the app, do not delete it! As the repositories are still there and updated, but if you delete the app, you won’t be able to get it again!
This is sad news, as it’s basically used by all Warhammer 40k players. Let’s take a look at the new announcement, as well as how Battlescribe was abandoned by its developer.
This statement comes from Reddit by way of the Battlescribe Discord:
The time has come, if you have an iOS/iPadOS device, whatever you do DO NOT delete the BS app from your device; it has officially been removed from the App Store.
If you have the app all will work as normal, the backend data repositories are still there and updated.
However, the App itself has gone too long without an update from its creator to be included in the Apple store.
As we said, this is pretty sad news, but if you have the app, please do not delete it! Let’s just hope a new update to your phone doesn’t somehow make it incompatible…
Let’s see what brought it to this point.
BattleScribe Abandoned by its Developer
Before you get too worried (well other than the fact you can’t download it anymore which is obviously big), the community of people doing the data for games like Warhammer 40k, etc are still around. But… the developer who is actually working on the app seems to have been AFK for a long time, more than a year at this point.
So What Does That Distinction Mean?
Well, the app isn’t and hasn’t been updated in quite some time, but the data has been. This means as phones continue to update, there’s a chance that the Battlescribe app just stops working altogether on your platform (or gets taken off altogether).
According to the mods of r/battlescribe, no one has even heard from the developer in over a year.
There has already been a Reddit thread where they say the app is not working on Mac OS already (this was before it was even taken down, so let’s hope it will work at least for a little while longer). While the data is still being updated, the app itself is falling off.
This really sucks because so many things use BattleScribe, such as Best Coast for tournaments, etc. Currently, the only other real option is using the GW app. While we’ve talked about that app for some time, if BS goes down, it’s basically pen and paper other than the 40k app.
The good news? Not all hope is lost, as hobbyists and coders alike are banding together to make something new…
A New Hope For Army Building
A group of developers is banding together to make a new app that can read BS data. If a whole group of people develops the app, we can hopefully avoid something like this in the future.
If you are a developer and want in on the project, you can check out Discord here. We’re not sure they need new people, but maybe it can’t hurt. Let’s just hope they have the app working before too long. Because, at this point, no one even knows how long the current BattleScribe app will last.
So, as we always say, always vote with your hobby dollars. If you’re paying for the app, be careful, as it may no longer be updated, and you could be paying for vaporware…
Have you noticed any issues with the BattleScribe App lately?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
