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Plague Inc, the real-time strategy disease simulation game, was removed from the Chinese app store because it was “unlicensed to operate” there.
Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad broke the news, and claimed that the game was found wanting in three respects. Firstly, the game is actually not licensed to be made available in Chinese markets. Secondly, the game is said to be “insensitive” with its core goal to infect the entire planet’s population with a fictional disease. Thirdly, there are “issues with in game content such as maps.”
I was able to confirm the game was removed for multiple reasons.
1. The game was unlicensed to operate in China and caught the eye of regulators.
2. The gameplay was considered to insensitive (Infecting other humans).
3. There were issues with in game content such as maps. https://t.co/um6qSbOVG2— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 17, 2020
Gaming regulators in China identified multiple game applications that contained illegal content recently.
At a recent press conference, regulators in the industry said they would crack down on unlicensed games and unlicensed / licensed games with illegal content going forward.
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 17, 2020
Ndemic Creations is yet to make an announcement regarding the revelation. At the time, it said it was blindsided by the decision, and that the situation was “completely out of its control.” It said it would also attempt to contact the Cyberspace Administration of China to get the game back on the app store. “It’s not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing. However, Plague Inc.’s educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19,” explained the developer.
