Popular pandemic app store game that allows you to digitally spread disease around the world has been blocked in China

130 million people enjoy playing Plague Inc. around the world 
Plague Inc. allows gamers to create a virus and spread it around the world
Ndemic Creations
Amelia Heathman28 February 2020

The coronavirus outbreak is having an impact across the tech world, from the cancellation of conferences to a fall in the stock value of companies like Uber and Lyft.

It’s also affecting the games that are available on the App Store. Plague Inc., created by UK-based games studio Ndemic Creations, is the top paid game on the US App Store and it allows you to create a disease with the goal of spreading it around the world. Though the game has been out for around eight years already, it appears to have had a surge in popularity following the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19 as it is known.

One country you won’t be able to play Plague Inc., however, is China. Ndemic posted a blog yesterday saying that the game has been removed from China’s App Store.

“We’ve just been informed that Plague Inc. ‘includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China’ and has been removed from the China App store. The situation is completely out of our control.

“It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing,” added the developers.

The App Store isn’t the only online battleground for China when it comes to coronavirus. According to Vice, the Chinese government is tracking down people who are sharing negative posts about the outbreak on platforms like Twitter and WeChat.

If you’re in the UK, you can play Plague Inc. to your heart's content. The simulation game has 130 million players around the world and whilst it's enjoyable to play, Ndemic says it also encourages players to think and learn about serious public health issues. It has been recognised by the likes of the CDC in the past for its educational importance when it comes to the spread of global viruses and the studio says it is currently working with global health organisations to determine how it can support efforts to contain and control COVID-19.

There have been 83,722 reported cases of the virus reported so far, along with 2,859 reported deaths.

Plague Inc. on the App Store and Google Play Store

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in