Plague Inc. "is a game, not a scientific model", dev warns as Coronavirus sparks spike in sales

"Please remember that Plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the Coronavirus is a very real situation which is impacting a huge number of people." That's the warning from the developer of Plague Inc., which has seen downloads skyrocket - particularly in China - as players look to the game to understand how diseases spread.

The eight-year-old Plague Inc., developed by UK studio Ndemic Creations, is a real-time strategy simulation in which the player creates and evolves a pathogen in an effort to destroy the world with a deadly plague.

Mainstream media has reported on how downloads of Plague Inc., have spiked in China. The BBC said that on Wednesday 22nd January, Plague Inc. was the best-selling game on China's iOS store.

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