The developer of the pandemic simulator game Plague Inc. donated $250 thousand to fight against coronavirus and is also planning to add a pandemic prevention mode to the game.
The creators of the pandemic simulator Plague Inc., which gained incredible popularity after the outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (previously knows as 2019-nCoV), decided to donate $250 thousand to fight the novel coronavirus. It is stated on the developer's website and Twitter account.
Ndemic Creations has already transferred $250,000 to the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Also, Plague Inc. will soon feature in-game promotion, so everyone will be able to make a personal donation.
"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," said James Vaughan, the creator of Plague Inc.
At the same time, the developers promised to speed up the development of an additional (most requested by users) game mode that contradicts the idea of the game itself. Instead of infecting the whole world, players will need to restrain the spread of the disease and prevent an epidemic.
Players can not only choose in which regions to strengthen the health system, but also control the quarantine measures, the closure of public places, and the distribution of patients to hospitals. Interestingly, the World Health Organization and other experts are helping with the development. The new update will be free for all players during the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, the exact release date of this update has not been reported yet.
Last month, Apple removed Plague Inc. from the Chinese App Store upon the authorities’ request.