Plague Inc. pulled from Chinese App Store
Developer Ndemic Creations says outbreak simulation game removed because it "includes content that is illegal in China"
Plague Inc. has been pulled from the China 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," developer Ndemic Creations said today in an update on the game's official site. "This situation is completely out of our control."
The studio added it wasn't clear that the removal was related to the COVID19 novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in China late last year.
Ndemic said it is trying to make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to resolve the issue, but warned players that "as a tiny independent games studio in the UK, the odds are stacked against us."
Originally released eight years ago, Plague Inc. has seen a resurgence in interest since the onset of the COVID19 outbreak. Last month it topped the Chinese app charts, prompting Ndemic to release a formal statement reminding players that it is not a scientific model and players should still seek information about outbreaks from local and global health authorities.
While there is also an Android version of Plague Inc., it has not been made available in mainland China.