Tinder Cancels Its Apocalypse-Themed Game Due to Coronavirus

"We felt it would be difficult to launch it in the right spirit."

Night Swiped

It's not a good time to be releasing any entertainment based around the premise of an apocalypse unfolding — at least according to Tinder.

The dating app company has cancelled the international release of its video-slash-hookup-game "Swipe Night," TechCrunch reports, which was a choose-your-own adventure-style adventure about an impending asteroid impact.

"We’ve decided not to launch the Swipe Night series around the world this weekend," reads an extremely brief announcement."We were excited to bring this innovation to our members outside of the US, but given the series’ apocalyptic theme, and because we are sensitive to the current events our members are experiencing, we felt it would be difficult to launch it in the right spirit."

Apocalypse Dates

The project was meant to be released to 10 new markets in Europe and Asia this spring after it managed to boost some key numbers for the company in the US, according to Variety, boosting user matches by 26 percent and overall conversation by 12 percent.

"Swipe Night" is a four-episode and five-minute interactive story. If you made the same choices as somebody else, it could lead to a match. It's a clever replacement of increasingly formulaic opening one-liners and awkward silences.

The hookup app also warned users with a prompt last week. "Tinder is a great place to meet new people," it read. "While we want you to continue to have fun, protecting yourself from the coronavirus is more important."

READ MORE: Tinder cancels its apocalyptic-themed show ‘Swipe Night’ out of sensitivity to coronavirus outbreak [TechCrunch]

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