In a complete turnabout from the usual gameplay of Plague Inc., developer Ndemic Creations is currently creating a mode in which players will attempt to stop a global pandemic rather than cause one. The precise ways in which this completely different setup would function inside of Plague Inc.'s established gameplay loop isn't currently known, however.
The mode is a response to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has turned the concept of a global disease into something a bit too real and close to home for many player's current tastes. In theory, the game mode should invert player's expectations of Plague Inc., providing a unique, and perhaps even cathartic, new way to play the game.
What Ndemic has stated about the game mode, via an announcement on its website, is that it will task players with the management of healthcare and disease control. The four abilities mentioned in the post were triaging, (determining the order of medical treatment based on patient severity), initiating quarantining policies, instituting social distancing, and controlling the availability of public services. The update adding the game mode will be free, so money shouldn't be an issue for any Plague Inc. owners looking to pass some time during the quarantine.
The developer has also taken other steps during the pandemic, including making donations, which together totaled $250,000, to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund run by the World Health Organization, as well as to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. In addition, Ndemic has been using its official Twitter page to spread information regarding the virus.
In its announcement, Ndemic stated that the mode's development is being aided by members of both the World Health Organization and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. In the past, Ndemic has made efforts to direct its users to the World Health Organization's website, due to players asking the developer itself for information on the Coronavirus.
Unfortunately, the new mode won't be available in China, on account of the Chinese government banning Plague Inc., presumably as some sort of unusual reaction to coronavirus. For most players around the world however, they will soon have the opportunity to become the very researchers they've worked so hard to defeat for the last eight years since the game's release.
Plague Inc. is currently available on mobile devices, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Source: Ndemic Creations