A deadly disease is spreading throughout the world threatening humans. Countries are trying to stop the spread by tightening up their borders as the deadly plague continues to kill; everything thrown at the pathogen fails to destroy it. While this scenario sounds as though it was ripped from the headlines, it is actually the description of a mobile video game called Plague, Inc. that asks, “Can you infect the world?”

After eight years, the Chinese finally decided that a game called Plague Inc. is illegal in the country

The statement from the developer noted that Plague Inc. is “the #1 strategy/simulation game worldwide and has been the most popular paid game in China for many years. Plague Inc. stands out as an intelligent and sophisticated simulation that encourages players to think and learn more about serious public health issues. We have a huge amount of respect for our Chinese players and are devastated that they are no longer able to access and play Plague Inc. It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing. However, Plague Inc.’s educational importance has been repeatedly recognized by organizations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organizations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19…this situation is completely out of our control.”

The developer says that it is trying to do what it can to get the game returned to the App Store in China, but it also points out that as a small studio located in the U.K., it faces David vs. Goliath odds against it. Of course, we do know how that story ended.

Developer Ndemic Creations warns that the game is not a scientific model

The developer writes, “The Coronavirus outbreak in China is deeply concerning and we’ve received a lot of questions from players and the media. Plague Inc. has been out for eight years now and whenever there is an outbreak of disease we see an increase in players, as people seek to find out more about how diseases spread and to understand the complexities of viral outbreaks. We specifically designed the game to be realistic and informative, while not sensationalizing serious real-world issues. This has been recognized by the CDC and other leading medical organizations around the world. However, please remember that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the current coronavirus outbreak is a very real situation which is impacting a huge number of people. We would always recommend that players get their information directly from local and global health authorities.”