It always works so well when agencies attempt to remove the existence of something from the internet; granted, China does a bit better being that they literally control everything that their citizens may consume, but it never works entirely too well. Demanding removal of things doesn’t mean that it ceases to exist, it simply makes it harder to obtain.
Regardless, today Ndemic Creations received an official statement from the Cyberspace Administration of China announcing the removal of Plague Inc from the China App Store, citing that the application had ‘illegal content’ and was thus removed from the store.
https://twitter.com/adiratarigan/status/1232712059457925121
The good news is that China is finally reacting to the Coronavirus in a manner that doesn’t include unceremoniously burning corpses on the side of a highway in the middle of the night. The bad news is that removing an eight-year-old game that opens an intelligent discussion on the spreading of viruses and diseases will likely do very little to stop the Coronavirus.
We don’t want to scare everyone in China, but removing a game will do nothing to help contain the very disease that many have theorized China willingly has spread to nations around the world.
In the statement that Ndemic Creations received from the Cyberspace Administration of China, it was not stated precisely why the app was removed beyond a vague ‘illegal content’ segment. Ndemic Creations are trying to get back into contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China, and have thus been fruitless in their efforts. Ndemic Creations goes further to state that they’re willing to alter the game as necessary for their Chinese audience to continue to play the application.
We’re really sad to announce that Plague Inc. has been removed from the China App Store. This is completely out of our control and we are working to find a way to bring the game back to our players in China. Our statement here: https://t.co/oYkHHkMbgw pic.twitter.com/5wQ93NsCKw
— Plague Inc. / Rebel Inc. (@NdemicCreations) February 27, 2020
It is very likely, however, that the core idea of spreading diseases across the globe (that many have accused China of doing) may disagree with whatever cartoon characters are sitting in public office in the communist regime.
Ndemic Creations has actually been working with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on accurately portraying the likely spread of COVID-19, and what governments can do to stymie it. With more nations continuing to report outbreaks occurring, from Italy to South Korea, the sudden widespread epidemic has many concerned about long term consequences for the future of citizens, trade, and nations alike.
Interestingly, the title Rebel Inc, which has players attempting to thwart insurgencies across a myriad of regions is still available on the China App Store. Perhaps the citizens can look at that and learn something?
