To be clear, the legal sale of Battlefield 3 in Iran has never exactly been widespread. But as is the way of the world, “street vendors” had been selling the game anyway, and according to reports that’s resulted in a crackdown from Iranian authorities
While many retailers never even bothered stocking the game (in which you play various Americans blowing the shit out of Iran), anticipating such a move, a story from Lebanon’s Daily Star reported those few who have tried now find themselves the target of raids and arrests.
This isn’t surprising. What is surprising is EA’s response, telling website IndustryGamers, “In that Battlefield 3 is not available for purchase in Iran, we can only hope the ban will help prevent pirated copies reaching consumers there”.
Yeah. That’ll work.
Iran bans US video game showing Tehran invasion [The Daily Star, via IndustryGamers]
jellyarrow
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 10:23 PMYou wouldn’t imagine there would be much of an appetite to play a game where you are your enemy bombing the shit out of your country.
Jake
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 11:24 PMI’d play one where you attack your own government. Row Row fight da Power and all that. Might make for some interesting commentary, rather than same old same old random middle eastern country with a nuke.
McGarnical
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 11:34 PMWho told you about the machine!?
Sevs
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 12:10 AMIIRC Medal of Honor: Rising Sun was topseller for a week or two in Japan.
IphStich
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 6:53 AMWhy do they want to prevent pirated copies in a country where they wouldn’t be getting any sales anyway??
Further evidence that publishers consider a pirated copy a loss of money, even when they wouldn’t (now couldn’t) buy the game.
Steve
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 4:24 PMThis^
Piracy doesn’t equal lost sales.
blaja
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 9:53 AMsoon it will be (quake 3 voice over) “QUAD BANNING!”
Steve
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 4:27 PMHow about a game where the Anglo-American Empire is threatening to take over the world and the madmen must be stopped?
Would it be banned in the US/UK?