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One of the more low-key successes within the 4X grand strategy genre was 2012's Plague Inc., which received even more attention during the unexpected and unfortunately timely period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the release, game creator James Vaughan released a sequel called Rebel Inc. and has now launched his next game, which aims for an optimistic take on the post-apocalypse
In a report from Game File (paywalled), designer James Vaughan looked back on the unexpected success of Ndemic Creation's previous strategy games during chaotic times, what led to his newest game — After Inc. — and its optimistic view of rebuilding the Earth after tragedy.
"I have had quite a lot of people worry that our games tend to predict the future," said Vaughan to Game File.
2012's Plague Inc., as the name implies, is when you take control of a global pandemic, where you make the moment-to-moment decisions on how a catastrophic disease plays across in the world. Much like an increase in viewership for the 2011 film Contagion, Plague Inc. ended up seeing a massive surge in popularity in 2020 for those with a morbid interest in playing a game about viruses while in lockdown from an actual global pandemic.
After Plague Inc., Vaughan released Rebel Inc., a grand strategy game about the political choices made with growing insurgencies across the world. It also found success and a lot of common ground as unrest grows in the present day. But for his next game, After Inc., the creator wanted to make something less bleak and more about building a better world following the end of a zombie apocalypse — which is out now.
"The world is lush and beautiful. The survivors have endured hardships but they are alive and able to rebuild," said Vaughan. "[The] only downside is the zombies, but that's nothing that can't be solved with some nails stuck in a cricket bat!"
Currently, the game is out on mobile devices for $2, which Vaughan stated in the Game File report is "a huge gamble" for the studio – even stating further that's he's not at all confident that it will work out in the end for them. The only way for the game to be released in this way was due to the success of both Plague Inc. and Rebel Inc.
But much like those games, the developers plan to support the game for years to come post-launch, believing that the "long tail" will keep the game active. Currently, as of the time of this posting, After Inc. is the #10 best sellers for paid games on the Apple Store.
If you're looking for suggestions more civilization and city-building games, check out our roundup of the 15 best titles in the genre you can play right now.
