A hugely popular computer game that tasks players with creating and spreading a killer virus around the globe has been pulled from the Chinese App Store.

The game, called Plague Inc, costs 79p and is played by more than 130million people globally and is the top strategy/simulation game worldwide.

The aim is to create a deadly disease in a Chinese laboratory and infect as many countries and people as possible.

It is unclear why the Cyberspace Administration of China removed the game and if it is related to the outbreak of COVID-19 — which originated in Wuhan, China.

The coronavirus outbreak is believed to have infected humans from animals in a market in the Hubei province and has now killed almost 2,900 people worldwide.

The game, called Plague, costs 79p and is played by more than 130million people around the world and is the top strategy/simulation game worldwide. The aim is to create a deadly disease in a Chinese laboratory and infect as many countries and people as possible

A recent update allows the player to deliberately spread disinformation about the virus (pictured). This may be the reason China pulled the app as it tries to ensure civilians receive accurate information about the outbreak

The UK-based company that created Plague Inc claims it 'has been the most popular paid game in China for many years'.

But the simulation game, which is available on mobile, consoles and PC, officially became the most downloaded game in China's version of the Apple Store last month.

Game developers Ndemic Creations released a statement after their abrupt exile from the Chinese market,

'We've just been informed that Plague Inc "includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China" and has been removed from the China App Store,' it said.

'This situation is completely out of our control.'

It appears China has given no explanation for why the game was removed after eight years in the country.

The Bristol-based developers explain: 'It's not clear to us if this removal is linked to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that China is facing.

'However, Plague Inc.'s educational importance has been repeatedly recognised by organisations like the CDC and we are currently working with major global health organisations to determine how we can best support their efforts to contain and control COVID-19.'

The coronavirus outbreak is believed to have infected humans from animals in a market in the Hubei province of China and has now killed almost 2,900 people worldwide

More than 500 cases of the killer coronavirus have now been recorded across Europe, with 453 of them in Italy

It is possible the game has been cancelled in China, where the coronavirus has killed more than 2,700 people, to avoid mass hysteria and panic.

Analyst Daniel Ahmad suggests the cancellation of the game in China could have a legitimate reason behind it.

In a tweet, he says it could have been removed as a result of never actually being licensed to launch in China as it went live before that law was created.

He also says potential pitfalls could be the fact the virus always starts in China no matter what and the game may unwittingly mislead people looking for advice.

Mr Ahmed says: '[The misinformation problem] could be the most likely reason as the game recently released a "fake news" update in the iOS version that allows people to create misinformation.

'But again, that's just speculation and the CAC hasn't released an official reason just yet.'