Popular pandemic simulation game Plague Inc has been removed from Apple's App Store in China.
According to Plague Inc creators Ndemic Creations, authorities say the game "includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China".
The game allows players to create an illness and evolve it, with the goal of wiping out humanity. The app may have been removed from the store as the COVID-19 epidemic, which originated in China, spreads.
But Ndemic said it's "not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing".
"Plague Inc's educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19," Ndemic said in a statement.
The company said it's working "very hard" to try and find a way to get the game back in the hands of Chinese players. But it admits "the odds are stacked against" it.
Its next move will be to make contact with the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand its concerns and work to find a resolution.
For Plague Inc players outside of China worried about the future of the game, Ndemic Creations said, "nothing is changing outside of mainland China".
