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Plague Inc., the viral game that lets you end humanity, is now ten years old

When was the last time you ended mankind?

Plague Inc., the viral game that lets you end humanity, is now ten years old
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| Plague Inc.

Plague Inc. is a name most avid mobile gamers will know. Before Covid, the only pandemic threatening mankind was the one gamers created on their phones thanks to Ndemic Creation’s humanity-ending sim. And now, after over 180 million downloads, the chart-topper is finally a decade old (insert “feel old yet” meme). Back on 26th May 2012, the world was first exposed to Plague Inc. and since then, its transmission has been more rapid than anything seen before. With countless mutations that evolved the game, Plague Inc. was a massive success, so much so that the game has its iterations on PC, console, and a board game adaptation.

Looking back at their entire journey, James Vaughan, the founder of Ndemic Creations, said "It’s crazy looking back on myself in 2012 - I’d never made a video game before, Plague Inc. was just a hobby. Today, Plague Inc. is one of the best-selling mobile games ever and it's been an amazing journey. I’m particularly proud of being invited to talk at the CDC, winning an award from the Queen and helping to support the World Health Organisation in 2020. Thanks to everyone who has played, supported or worked on Plague Inc. over the years, I couldn’t have done it without you!"

James will also be hosting an AMA session on Reddit at 2 pm EST on 26th May so inject him with whatever questions you have! While we’re discussing Plague Inc., here’s a list of some cool stats:

  • The number of games played is 4,121,458,421 which is 156,725 years of constant play. A reminder this is a game where we (mankind) actively try to end all mankind.
  • In-game people infected – Over 25 quintillion. That’s like 18 zeroes.
  • Most popular plague names – Covid-19 (naturally), Death, Poop, Trump, TikTok, Fortnite, and Sus. Are you even surprised?
  • The most popular starting countries are China and Finland. Where are all the Iceland starters?

Well, Plague Inc. is pretty much one of the best-selling mobile games of all time. Ndemic also created Plague: Inc: The Cure which is completely opposite of what the original game does by making players safe mankind. You’re seriously missing out if you haven’t tried out the game yet. Download Plague Inc. now on the App Store ($0.99 USD) and Google Play for free.

And if you're having trouble wiping out that nasty humanity, these tips for Plague Inc. will come in handy!

Tanish Botadkar
Tanish Botadkar
Tanish is a freelance writer who's an absolute Marvel nerd. If he's not writing, he's probably rewatching anything related to Marvel so that he can spam his friends with theories. And if not that, he can be found gaming on his trusty PS4. While gaming is a passion for him, he also loves science and hopes to become a neuroscientist one day.