Chinese regulators remove ‘Plague Inc’ game from Apple’s China app store

Ndemic said it was not clear if the game's removal was linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 2,788 people and stricken 78,824 so far in mainland China. — Reuters

BEIJING/SHANGHAI: The video game Plague Inc, which has surged in popularity amid the coronavirus epidemic, has been removed from Apple's China app store after regulators said it contained illegal content, its developer said.

The strategy game, where players create a pathogen to destroy the world, soared to the top of the China app store charts in January as consumers turned to virus-related games and films as a coping mechanism. It has also jumped in app rankings for other countries.