Update: Since being removed from the iOS App Store last week, Plague Inc. is now unavailable on Steam in Mainland China.
The game has been popular in China before, probably due to the outbreak of COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus). At the time, the reason it was removed was cited as "illegal content."
Update:
In Mainland China, PlagueInc is no longer available on Steam. The game was removed from the China iOS App Store last week. https://t.co/5JDdh9UuYZ pic.twitter.com/bjHxDvvKZx
-Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 2, 2020
ability: Due to the continuous outbreak of the coronavirus, the virus simulation game Plague Inc. has been removed from the Chinese App Store.
Developer Ndemic Creations has confirmed in a blog post today that the game has been removed from the App Store in China.
"We have some very unfortunate news to share with our players in China. We just learned that the plague company" contains illegal content in China identified by the China Cyberspace Administration "and has been removed from the China App Store "" This situation is completely beyond our control. "
"We don't know if this clearance is related to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in China. However, organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have repeatedly recognized the importance of Palgue Inc. in education. We are currently working with the world's leading health organizations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19. "
Ndemic will continue to support and update Plague Inc. outside of mainland China (still available for purchase online) and will attempt to contact the China Cyberspace Administration to resolve this issue.
We are really sad to announce that Plague Company has been removed from the App Store in China. This is completely beyond our control and we are working hard to find a way to bring the game back to Chinese players. Our statement here: https://t.co/oYkHHkMbgw pic.twitter.com/5wQ93NsCKw
—Plague Company / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) February 27, 2020
Plague Inc. is a strategy game that lets you simulate disease outbreaks. The goal is to end everyone's life, and players must use all possible means to spread the virus globally before creating a cure. The game relies on real word scenes and can be used as a way to understand how viruses spread.
Last month, Plague Inc. sales increased due to early reports of the coronavirus.
"(Please) keep in mind that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model, and the current coronavirus outbreak is a very realistic situation that is affecting many people," the studio said at the time. "We always recommend that participants obtain information directly from local and global health authorities."
