The creators of a popular game about viral outbreaks released a statement last week saying that, while realistic, their game is just a game.

‘plague Inc. is a game, not a scientific model and that the current coronavirus outbreak is a very real situation,’ read a statement on the company’s website.

The game, in which players must try to infect the entire world with a deadly virus, experienced a surge in popularity last week.

2012’s plague Inc. is now China’s top paid iOS game. The real-world virus outbreak brought out the black humor in gamers.

James Vaughan, founder of ndemic creations, and creator of the game, has seen similar patterns before.’we see an increase in players, as people seek to find out more about how diseases spread and to understand the complexities of viral outbreaks,’ said Vaughan.

Vaughan created the first version of the game eight years ago in his spare time. In 2013, he was invited to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention to give a talk about how games like plague Inc. can help engage the public.