The Philippines has temporarily blocked gaming app Gorebox after an initial investigation found that a teenage suspect in a rare school shooting had been playing the game.
Three students were killed and 20 others wounded after two suspects - aged 15 and 14 - allegedly fired handguns inside a classroom in Tacloban, south-east of Manila, on Monday.
Police said the 14-year-old was a player of Gorebox, a game where players can “obliterate anything [they] desire” and “engage in brutal combat with an extensive arsenal of weapons and explosives”, according to its Google Play listing.
“We cannot ignore possible online influences that may have contributed to this tragic incident,” the country’s cyber-security agency said.
“Temporarily blocking the game will allow authorities to conduct a thorough assessment into whether the platform played any role in the actions of the suspects,” said Aboy Paraiso, an undersecretary at the Cybercrime Investigation and Co-ordinating Centre.
BBC News has contacted Gorebox’s maker, Germany’s F2Games, for comment. Scientific studies have not found a direct link between video games and violent behaviour.
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The 14-year-old suspect who allegedly played Gorebox is too young to be charged under Philippine law.
He appeared to have been “heavily influenced” by online content, said Allan Rae Co, spokesman of the Philippine National Police.