MEET THE DEVELOPER

There’s no cure for Plague Inc.

Time has only made this indie gem more infectious.

When he began work on Plague Inc. back in 2011, Ndemic Creations founder James Vaughan – then a business consultant – had small dreams. “It was a hobby,” he says. “I wanted to do something more creative, and I figured while waiting for my genius idea to come along, I’d build a game.”

The result wasn't just a game; it was a wonderfully crafted experience unlike anything on the App Store. In Plague Inc., players control diseases that are trying to infect and eradicate humanity. Inspired by the 2008 Flash game Pandemic (“the concept had a huge amount of untapped potential”), James drew on his background developing economic models to create a realistic simulation of how diseases might take over the world.

The first thing you’ll do in Plague Inc. is pick your pathogen. Bacteria, virus or something worse?
Games differ radically based on which symptoms you give your disease.

Sure enough, Plague Inc. spread as quickly as its name. Since its 2012 release, it’s climbed to more than 100 million players worldwide across all platforms, James tells us. And it continues to be one of the App Store’s top paid games.

Surprising start

At launch, James felt good about his creation but didn’t realise how popular it would become.

“I didn’t make Plague Inc. to make money. It was more about building a game I wanted to play. I figured if I could earn back what I’d spent developing it, that’d be a glorious success,” he recalls.

Looking back, he attributes Plague Inc.’s initial popularity to its uniqueness and the way it “appeals to all sorts of different people”, including hardcore and casual gamers.

The fact that Plague Inc. is fun and based on scientific principle means education is in its DNA.

– James Vaughan, founder of Ndemic Creations

With Plague Inc. topping the iOS charts, James threw himself into expanding the experience. Over years of regular updates, he’s added new pathogens that significantly change the game, including a zombifying Necroa Virus and the Simian Flu (an official tie-in with the recent Planet of the Apes films). He’s particularly proud of how the latter feels like your own “custom-built film” as you manoeuvre first the disease, then bands of super-intelligent apes to conquer the world.

James also released a separate scenario creator for user-created challenges within the main game. He’s even released a Plague Inc. board game with a companion app. And cute little plushies. This is how a franchise is born.

In Plague Inc., where you start your pandemic affects how easily it spreads to other countries.

A learning experience

Pre-release, James hadn’t given much thought to Plague Inc. being a teaching tool. Then he was contacted by the United State's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They offered to fly him out from Ndemic’s headquarters in Bristol, England, to talk to their scientists about Plague Inc. It was an experience James calls “unbelievably awesome”.

“I explained how I took the core science and reduced it down to a form that makes for a fun game, while also being scientifically relevant. Of course, I had to be very careful not to tell them how [the science] actually is, since they know it far better than me,” he laughs.

I like to think the Necroa Virus update is the most realistic zombie-attack simulation ever.

– James Vaughan

In turn, James’ relationship with the CDC has helped him refine the game. Since that initial visit, he’s consulted experts at the agency for guidance on how they handle various alert levels, how to describe certain disease symptoms, and other details that add to the game's realism.

“Plague Inc. has been recognised by scientists for its highly realistic infection models and its ability to engage and educate players on the complex issues of global disease transmission,” CDC spokesman Jason McDonald tells us. “It and other games like it create compelling, real-world situations that engage the public on serious public-health topics.”

For Plague Inc.’s creator, meeting folks who fight real-world outbreaks was “unbelievably awesome”.

Looking ahead

Hearing James talk about pandemics, it’s clear he takes the subject seriously, too. His biggest concern right now is the growing resistance to antibiotics, a threat he believes most people aren’t taking seriously enough.

“In general, I think people are worried about diseases, and they do want to know more about them, and that’s where Plague Inc. can actually help them understand a bit more about how diseases spread.”

What’s next? James says he’s interested in doing “an alien-based disease, an antibiotic-resistant scenario, and a more robotic, nanomachine-style plague.” He has ideas for other games, too – they’ve been rifling around his head for years – but for now, he’s staying focused on this one. And not just because he knows fans want more.

“I don’t want to regret not having poured everything into this game.”