Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Pandemic strategy game Plague Inc.’s popularity renewed amid coronavirus threat

By

As the world is gripped with fear over the outbreak of a new coronavirus that originated from China, gamers have turned to Plague Inc., a mobile strategy title that simulates how a pathogen evolves as it infects the world.

Recommended Videos

Plague Inc. has found renewed vigor as sales have recently surged, particularly in China. eight years after its release. The Guardian, citing analytics firm AppAnnie, reported that it has become the most-downloaded paid-for game on iOS in China, and the sixth most-downloaded paid-for game overall. Plague Inc. has also shot up the download charts in other countries, including the U.S. and U.K.

Related

In Plague Inc., players create a deadly pathogen, with the goal of eradicating the world’s population. Players upgrade the pathogen’s attributes, including transmission, symptoms, and abilities, taking it from patient zero all the way to wiping out the planet, unless the world’s health officials find a cure in time.

U.K.-based Ndemic Creations, the studio behind Plague Inc., said that the game was designed to be realistic and informative, while not sensationalizing serious issues. It has been recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical organizations around the world as an educational tool for people who want to learn more about how diseases spread.

“However, please remember that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the current coronavirus outbreak is a very real situation which is impacting a huge number of people,” the studio said in a statement, recommending players acquire information about the real-world threat from the authorities.

We're getting a lot of questions about the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak- the World Health Organization has some great information here: https://t.co/aG29SD68Iu pic.twitter.com/kLFq6CmPGo

— Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) January 22, 2020

This is not the first time that Plague Inc. sales spiked amid a disease outbreak. For example, in 2014, the mobile game’s popularity surged during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The coronavirus has killed at least 56 people in China, with nearly 2,000 confirmed cases as the country struggles to contain the outbreak, according to CNN. The government has instituted a lockdown on various cities, including Wuhan, where the virus was linked to a market that sold seafood and live animals.

Outside of China, there are more than 40 confirmed cases across about a dozen countries, including three in the United States.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Aaron Mamiit
Aaron Mamiit
Contributor
Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…
What’s free on the Epic Games Store right now?
A player shoots an arrow in Orcs Must Die! 3.

Checking in on the Epic Games Store is one of the easiest ways to grow your gaming library. Epic gives out a free game or two every week, ranging from darling indies to AAA titles. All you have to do is jump on the Epic Games Store to claim the free games and they'll be added to your library to keep forever.

Keeping track of all the free titles and gaming deals can be a pain, so we're monitoring the Epic Games Store for you. We'll update this article every time a new game is made available!
What's free on the Epic Games Store right now?
These games can be picked up on the Epic Games store right now for free. Scroll down to the Free Games section of the app's Discover tab or find the individual title using the search bar. Just find and select the Get button to claim your free game. You do not have to download or install it right away.

Read more
The best accessories to use with Delta game emulator
A table holding a DualSense controller, a DualSense Backbone, a regular Backbone, and an Xbox Series X controller.

Once Apple opened the floodgates and allowed emulators onto the App Store, Delta was one of the first on the scene. This Nintendo emulator allows you to load up your ROMs for all the classic systems, from the NES and Game Boy to the N64 and DS. With so much nostalgia suddenly available right on your phone, it's no wonder that Delta has become one of the most downloaded apps on the store. And while the emulator itself is fantastic, none of these games were intended to be played on your iPhone -- and more specifically, with the touchpad. Even the old Game Boy games can feel cramped and cluttered when you are blocking parts of the screen with your thumbs, but there are plenty of handy accessories to make your iPhone the perfect platform for Delta games.
Backbone Controller

The Backbone controller has been around for a few years and is the perfect combination of convenience and quality. It easily slides onto your iPhone and adds two thumbsticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, and two pairs of triggers. It's more than enough for any game you could emulate with Delta. The best part is that it allows you to view your screen with no obstructions so you can fully enjoy your gaming experience.
Razor Kishi Ultra

Read more
Call of Duty competitor XDefiant is finally coming out this month
A character in XDefiant

Ubisoft's XDefiant, a first-person shooter meant to take on the likes of Call of Duty, will finally get a wide release and enter its Preseason on May 21.

Ubisoft San Francisco announced XDefiant in July 2021 and has held several rounds of testing for the game since then. It's a 6v6 competitive shooter being worked on by former Call of Duty developers, where the main hook is that each faction is based on a Ubisoft franchise. Series like Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs are all represented here. After years of testing, Ubisoft initially promised a wide release for XDefiant sometime around September or October of 2023, but delayed the game after a public test session.

Read more