This week, Apple ends its App Store Affiliate program., EA makes a controversial change to Madden, and parents hire Fortnite “tutors” en masse.

Apple Ends its App Store Affiliate Program

As reported by major outlets like TechCrunch, Apple is shutting down its App Store affiliate program in preparation for the launch of the new App Store in early October, putting putting sites like TouchArcade, AppAdvice, and AppShopper in serious jeopardy. Originally, affiliated third-party websites were awarded a small percentage of revenue when they linked readers to an app in the App Store. TouchArcade and AppShopper relied on this program for a major portion of their respective revenues. TouchArcade editor Eli Hodapp is at a loss in regards to how the site is supposed to continue without the affiliate program, and indicated that the site could be shut down as a result of Apple’s decision. Ars Technica quoted AppShopper’s Editor-in-chief Marianne Schultz, in which she expressed her severe disappointment and skepticism as to whether Apple’s new recommendation system can be trusted by the consumer. Mashable also points out that the same-day news of Apple becoming the first trillion dollar company makes for particularly poor optics.

EA Edits Out Colin Kaepernick Lyric From Soundtrack

Sports media was set ablaze this week with EA’s controversial decision to edit out a Big Sean lyric from their Madden 19 soundtrack. The lyric in question was not a bad word or vulgarity, but instead a positive reference to NFL quarterback and controversial political figure Colin Kaepernick. In protest against police brutality and a government that treats people of color unfairly, Kaepernick started the much-publicized trend of professional athletes kneeling to the national anthem, jeopardizing his career in the process. Deadspin points out that Kaepernick is also in the midst of a collusion case against several NFL team owners allegedly conspiring to remove him from the league. Sports Illustrated quoted a tweet from Big Sean, calling EA’s decision “disappointing and appaling.” The high-profile nature of Kaepernick’s public conflict also led to coverage from mainstream outlets like HuffPost and major music outlet Pitchfork.

“Fortnite Tutor” Becomes a Legitimate Occupation

The Wall Street Journal published an in-depth report on the recent trend of parents hiring Fortnite tutors for their children. While some might assume these parents hired said tutors in hopes of their children becoming professional eSports athletes, that proved to not be the case, especially for younger children. The mammoth popularity of the game has led to children who are bad at the game facing ostracization at school. Other parents simply want their children to be competitive in the activities they love most. Tutors are paid in the range of $20 per hour, and were quoted on how they themselves find this trend to be “surreal.” The story received widespread mainstream traction, with articles published in The Guardian, USA Today, Mashable, and People Magazine.