Plague Inc. developer Ndemic Creations’ game simulates what might happen in the event of an unstoppable pandemic, but the company is now doing its part to stop one. Ndemic announced this week that it donated $250,000 in order to fight the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The donation was made to the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations as well as the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. The former is dedicated to developing and financing vaccines to treating new infectious disease, while the latter is focused on preventing, detecting, and treating COVID-19 worldwide.
“Eight years ago, I never imagined the real world would come to resemble a game of Plague Inc., or that so many players would be using Plague Inc. to help them get through an actual pandemic,” the game’s creator James Vaughan said in the announcement. “We are proud to be able to help support the vital work of the WHO and CEPI as they work towards finding a vaccine for COVID-19.”
A new mode is also coming to Plague Inc. that focuses on stopping a global outbreak. The mode will include techniques currently being implemented to stop the coronavirus from spreading, including quarantining and social distancing. Experts from the WHO and Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network are assisting with development, and it will be a free update for all players.
Plague Inc. was removed from the Chinese App Store after regulators ruled it contained illegal content. Government officials didn’t clarify if the decision was made as a direct result of the outbreak, but sales had spiked in the country in the previous month.
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