One of the most popular and successful mobile games, Plague Inc., has been removed from the App Store in China because of the conronavirus. The 2012 mobile game allows players to create a simulation of a virus with the goal of trying to wipe out humanity. While grim, it shows how quickly viruses can spread and their effect on our planet.
The rise of the Chinese coronavirus has caused the country to forcefully remove the game from the App Store in China.
“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,” said developer Ndemic Creations in a blog post. “This situation is completely out of our control.”
It’s unclear if the game will ever be reinstated should the cornavirus get controlled but Plague Inc. is still available outside of China. This is not the first effect of the coronavirus on the gaming industry either.
Sony pulled out of PAX East in Boston due to health concerns from the coronavirus. This promptly canceled the first public demo of The Last of Us Part 2. Sony, Facebook, and many other prominent tech companies have also pulled out of GDC in March, a popular game developers event. As time goes on, many have begun speculating that the entire event will be canceled either due to health concerns or the lack of exhibitors.
It’s unclear how much more of an impact the coronavirus will have on the gaming industry but many are expecting large games and next-gen hardware to get delayed until the situation is under control.
Plague Inc. is still available in other countries on mobile, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC. The game is also still available on Steam in China at the time of writing.
