According to the news from China IT Home, the well-known virus-related strategy simulation game "Plague Inc." has been removed from the Apple App Store in China. The system displays "No longer providing 'Plague Inc.', the developer has removed this app from the App Store," for unknown reasons.
In the game "Plague Inc.", players must aim to destroy all of humanity, evolve their own pathogens, understand the transmission paths of diseases, and counter the vaccine development of advanced countries. After the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), sales of "Plague Inc." also skyrocketed, becoming the champion of the paid game rankings on the App Store for a while. Chinese players also appreciate the game's design. The developer even came out and stated that they hope everyone pays more attention to their own country's health agency's epidemic prevention information.
However, now the game has been inexplicably removed, and many Chinese netizens cannot accept it. Some say it is because the game's version number has expired and has been taken down, but there is no clear evidence. Some people even sarcastically suggest renaming the game "Vaccine Elite", where 100% of the world's population has already been infected with a certain virus, and Communist Party members have to develop vaccines to save the world.
Compared to previously ranking first in the paid game category, now "Plague Inc." has once again become the focus of Chinese players in a different way.
Statement regarding the removal of "Plague Inc." from the Chinese App Store:
We must share unfortunate news with Chinese players. Yesterday evening, our company received a notification stating that "Plague Inc." was "reviewed by the Chinese National Cyberspace Administration and found to contain content that violates domestic laws" and has been removed from the Chinese App Store. The current situation is completely beyond our control.
"Plague Inc." has achieved critical and tremendous success in the business. During its eight years of operation, the game has gained favor from 130 million players, consistently topping the global strategy/simulation game charts and ranking among the favorite paid games for Chinese players for many years. "Plague Inc." is an intelligent and complex unique simulation game aimed at encouraging players to think actively and learn about relevant knowledge regarding serious public health issues. We have always held great respect for Chinese players and are deeply concerned about the current situation where the game can no longer serve Chinese players.
We are not yet clear whether the removal of the game is related to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic in China. However, the important role of "Plague Inc." in the field of education has been recognized by organizations such as the CDC. We are cooperating with major health organizations worldwide in order to contribute to the fight against COVID-19.
We are doing our utmost to bring the game back to China - we will not disregard our dear Chinese players. However, as a small independent game studio based in the UK, we know that there is still a long way to go. Our immediate priority is to try to contact the Chinese National Internet Information Office (www.cac.gov.cn) to understand their concerns and seek solutions together.
Game operations outside mainland China will continue as usual: we will continue to provide updates and support for "Plague Inc." and our new game "Rebel Inc." on all platforms, and strive to bring "Plague Inc." back into the hands of Chinese players as soon as possible.
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