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A plague-themed game developed by a UK game studio has been removed from Apple’s App Store in China amid the coronavirus epidemic.

The reason behind its removal is not yet clear. The game ranked among the top five paid downloads in the Chinese App Store before its removal.

Plague Inc, a strategy simulation game developed by UK-based game studio Ndemic Creations, entered the Chinese market in 2015.

According to its website, players need to create and evolve a deadly global plague to kill every human being in the world, while adapting the virus to avoid measures taken by scientists and governments. 

Media reports hinted the game has seen rapidly growing numbers of users during the coronavirus epidemic. On January 21, the app jumped to the top of the paid downloads list in the Chinese App Store. 

The UK publisher had not responded to an interview request from the Global Times as of press time. In a statement published on its website, Ndemic Creations said it had been informed by relevant Chinese departments that some of the game’s content is illegal in China.

Industry insiders said the removal could also be due to the fact that the game had not been approved by relevant Chinese authorities. 

Global Times