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The
strategy game, where players create a pathogen to destroy the
world, soared to the top of the China app store charts in
January as consumers turned to virus-related games and films as
a coping mechanism. It has also jumped in app rankings for other
countries.
"This situation is completely out of our control," UK-based
developer and publisher Ndemic Creations said in a statement,
adding its immediate priority was to make contact with the
Cyberspace Administration of China to understand its concerns
and work towards a resolution.
The regulator did not respond to Reuters phone calls and faxes
requesting comment on the matter. Apple Inc and Ndemic did not
immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
China has stringent rules on content from video games to movies
to music and censors anything it believes violates core
socialist values. Gaming companies must also seek licenses for
the games they want to publish.
Although there was a brief window when public criticism of
authorities' handling of the outbreak was allowed, censors have
tightened their grip in recent weeks. WeChat groups and podcasts
have been shut down while social media posts and articles have
been deleted.
"The game may have simply been taken down due to sensitivities
around the topic and gameplay of the title given the recent
COVID-19 outbreak," said Daniel Ahmad, an analyst with gaming
research firm Niko Partners.
He added that it might be related to a new feature in the game
which allows players to create "fake news" stories about the
virus, noting other epidemic-related games albeit ones with some
educational content were still available in China.
He said he didn't think the game's removal was related to an
update Apple made this week that requires developers of
revenue-generating mobile games on its Chinese site to obtain a
license from the Chinese government as other unlicensed games
had not been affected. Apple, which has lagged other app stores
in enforcing this rule, has set a June deadline.
The game has been installed by about 2.2 million Apple iOS users
in China since its introduction in 2012 of which 9% have
occurred since January, according to gaming data tracking firm
Sensor Tower.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh and Pei Li; Editing by Christopher
Cushing and Edwina Gibbs)
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