Plague Inc. developer warns that its game shouldn’t be used for Coronavirus outbreak models

Looking to do a bit of tourism in the near future? There’s a whole wide world just begging to be explored, but chances are that you won’t be booking a flight to China anytime soon. Over in the land of the rising dragon, the deadly Coronavirus has been wreaking havoc across the nation. Dozens of people are dead, scores more are infected and outbreaks have been reported across the globe as authorities look to clamp down on the infection.

One unexpected side effect of all this, has been the increase in sales for ye olde Plague Inc., a humble game from almost a decade ago that tasks you with manufacturing a virus and mutating it through quarantines as you decimate every human on the planet with its virulent properties. It’s still a solid game after all these years, with layers of strategy that makes for a real challenge on a global scale.

So of course people are buying it and unleashing their own Coronavirus pandemic, while also using the results for their studies of how a virus could spread beyond borders. According to the BBC, the app has done gangbuster numbers in China especially as locals look to study the possible spread of the Coronavirus. Ndemic Creations may be chuffed with the sales, but they’re also warning people that it shouldn’t be taken as the gospel for learning about unstoppable diseases.

“Plague Inc. has been out for eight years now and whenever there is an outbreak of disease we see an increase in players, as people seek to find out more about how diseases spread and to understand the complexities of viral outbreaks,” the developer wrote on their site.

We specifically designed the game to be realistic and informative, while not sensationalising serious real-world issues. This has been recognised by the CDC and other leading medical organisations around the world. 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.

We would always recommend that players get their information directly from local and global health authorities.

At the time of writing this post, the Coronavirus has so far claimed 106 lives with over 4500 people infected in China alone. It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better…Happy Tuesday!

Last Updated: January 28, 2020