Plague Inc. removed from the App Store in China

Popular pandemic simulator Plague Inc. has been removed from the China App Store after the creators were informed that the game “includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China.”

A blog post on Ndemic Creations’ website states that the “situation is completely out of [their] control” and that the studio hasn’t been given any further information on just what the illegal content in question is.

“Plague Inc. is a huge critical and commercial success. Eight years old and with over 130 million players, it’s the #1 strategy/simulation game worldwide and has been the most popular paid game in China for many years,” Ndemic Creations wrote.

“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 recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.”

The studio says that its immediate priority is to try and make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to “understand their concerns and work with them to find a resolution.”

In the meantime, Ndemic Creations say that it will continue to support and update both Plague Inc. and new game Rebel Inc. on all available platforms.

Recently, Ndemic Creations had to politely remind fans that Plague Inc. is just a game, not a “scientific model,” and that it isn’t a representation of how coronavirus – or COVID-19 – will spread.