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Tell HN: Google bans my game for referencing Covid-19, which I designed in 2017

140 points by LukaszO ↗ HN
Hey i heard about the Podcast Addict app, this is sad news for all of us, because the bots are banning everything that could be a reference to COVID-19 which is quite a hyprocrytical move. They changed their whole Google Hangout app to become Google Meet to profit of the virus.

I designed a game about the Pandemic in January 2017, i was slowly developing it being inspired by Reigns and Plague Inc.

After the COVID happened i continued my work on the game and released the game on 5th of April 2020 after successfull appeal to pre-release ban. I even successfully ran Google and Facebook ads for the game Pre-Register period.

Then after a week the game was banned. I appealed again couple of times but without a success. Now Google Play don't even reply to my emails. Finally i decided to release the game on Steam, it will be available on 20th May. I put almost a 6 months of work on this game and i felt that i lost all this time because of this unfair ban, but i'm glad i can release the game on Steam without any problem or censorship attempts.

Also i want to emphasize that the game does not contain any COVID-19 references, nor any medical advices nor any propaganda. I designed it to be an universal pandemic/virus game. There are no words like corona, covid, or anything similar.

Screenshots with proofs that i'm saying the truth: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1RGfllIgAS5hJ2cHhWsmhaotb8H0FgrHy

Source Code from 2018 https://bitbucket.org/PassengerMan/samples/src/master/Cpp/PANGameplayTypes.h

28 comments

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Awelton
The heavy hand of Google strikes down another. Don't you know that you aren't allowed to say wrongthink words or think wrongthink thoughts? Please try again, but this time try a little harder to please the Google. Only CDC approved persons are allowed to allude to or speak of the single largest thing people happen to currently be talking about. Pick up that can.
koheripbal
What we need is Google Play Store alternatives.
viklove
There are several alternatives, not to mention you can sideload APKs.
gentleman11
Not commercially viable ones for small devs who need to make a living
tetromino_
IMHO, releasing a new pandemic game (where I assume your goal is to kill as many people as possible with a virus) in the middle of a real-life pandemic is tone-deaf. It also very much looks like "appearing to profit from a tragic event with no discernible benefit to the victims" which is an example of banned content at https://play.google.com/about/restricted-content/inappropria...

If you really want to release this right now on a different platform, maybe follow the example of Plague Inc's developer: https://www.ndemiccreations.com/en/news/175-plague-inc-gives...

JacksonGariety
Aren't a lot of people profiting off of coronavirus? Zoom, Nintendo, Netflix, etc.? And what about viral apocalypse movies like 'Contagion'?

This stuff helps people cope with stress.

LukaszO
"where I assume your goal is to kill as many people as possible with a virus" Game goal is the opposite. I can't imagine i can run funds or donate anything, i am a single private person, ndemic creations is a professional company.

You can check out the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1305370/Pandemia_Virus_Ou...

rnotaro
Your main trailer when I open the steam store page is not in english. You should present the english trailer first.

Does steam allows different screenshot / videos for different languages?

LukaszO
Thanks for the info, i changed videos order. You can set the language for the video and screenshots but it somehow displays for everyone.
arsenide
"releasing a new pandemic game"

Developed across the last 3 years? This seems like an inapt description of what OP described here.

runawaybottle
I’ll argue that it is not tasteless because it is a natural phenomena.

Tone deaf would be a Columbine FPS (which the shooters I think made themselves).

lopmotr
natural disasters are explicitly listed as banned by the Play Store link the GP posted.

"We don't allow apps that lack reasonable sensitivity towards or capitalize on a natural disaster, atrocity, conflict, death, or other tragic event."

Seems like a clear violation even if it is a stupid rule.

runawaybottle
Doesn’t make sense, what if you simulate a virus spread or Hurricane?
andromeduck
Who are you to judge what content we can and can't enjoy?
LukaszO
I wanted to add that i successfully ran game promoting ads on Google Ads and Facebook Ads through the whole March, without any limiting despite having "virus" words in the ad.
tinus_hn
While this case is just unfortunate contrasted with the absolutely ridiculous podcast app story, the general censoring issue is making its way through the international press. There will probably be some updates to the policy.
LukaszO
I agree with you, thanks to the Podcast Addict case more people will know about google practices. It took very popular app to make it to the mainstream news and i hope the change will be for the better and maybe small developers will also be heard in this discussion.
aabbcc1241
My general advice is to make your software portable.

If you target android platform, you can at least distribute the APK for people to install;

If you target iPhone, I suppose your target audience may not jailbreak the phone just to play the game, so the proprietary app store becomes the only practical option;

If you target the web platform, boom, you can distribute the game to almost all of your target audience.

LukaszO
That's true, but unfortunately in reality you don't have any other viable places to distribute your game because the market is already monopolized. If you want to reach the biggest userbase you must release your product in the most popular stores.

What is the best place to release premium android game? Google Play - biggest userbase, integrated payment, integrated with your google account.

aabbcc1241
Besides Google Play Store, you can spread the game in game forums. Like reddit. You can also place ads of your game on FB/IG/search engines.

And personally, I never permit the games I play to access my Google account. I even disabled Google Game on my device and blacklist the domains in nextdns.io

sdwedq
Unfortunately, too hard it is too monetize a game on a web.

I see people downloading games on their phones without thinking but don't know anyone who paid for a web-only game.

aabbcc1241
You see people download free games without thinking. Less of them still don't think if it's a paid game right?
mysterydip
My game got banned without any specific references as well. It was a pacman clone where you were shopping in a store and had to avoid other patrons who were a virus in disguise. Banned for "taking advantage of a tragedy". We re-themed it as zombies and now it's on the stores.
classified
Google is not the steward of our civil rights, they just want our money. Once they've got your money, it's their way or the highway.

If you enter a one-sided business agreement that gives you no leverage over your opposite you should know what to expect and not be surprised when it happens. Not reading the fine print before you sign is your risk to take.

If you want control, don't give it away.

gentleman11
If you want to make a commercial game without using an App Store, you have no choice without having absolutely massive funding. Look what epic is having to spend to get established on pc
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kongtse
alternative play store instead of supporting the alphabet for too long. is only about care and communication example https://f-droid.org/ ;-) xD
gentleman11
I am sure that is very appealing for game developers who want to be able to make their games full time