Play as the good guys in upcoming Plague Inc. mode

Popular pandemic simulator Plague Inc. is getting a bit of an upgrade in the near future. In light of recent events, Plague Inc. has surged in popularity. In addition to donating a quarter of a million dollars to fight coronavirus, developer Ndemic Creations has announced a new mode where you need to save the world from a deadly outbreak, rather than destroy it.

The new mode was apparently requested by medical experts from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and the World Health Organisation. “When arranging our donations with the WHO and CEPI, we were repeatedly asked if we could make a game which let the player work to stop an outbreak”, the developers write on their website. “Therefore, as well as providing financial support, we are accelerating work on a new Plague Inc. game mode which lets players save the world from a deadly disease outbreak. “

“Players will have to balance managing disease progression and boosting healthcare systems as well as controlling real-world actions such as triaging, quarantining, social distancing and closing of public services. We are developing this game mode with the help of experts from the World Health Organisation, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and more.”

This new update for the game will be free for all players. Plague Inc. has had an interesting few months recently, skyrocketing in sales in China before being removed from stores. The developer is aware that, for good or ill, many look to Plague Inc. for information on how diseases spread. Hopefully, this new mode will demonstrate the effectiveness of practices like good hygiene and social distancing in a way that players can understand.

We all need a bit of hope right now. It can sometimes feel like this outbreak is too much to handle. A new game mode about conquering a deadly pandemic might be just what the doctor ordered.