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Report: Battlefield 3 Banned In Iran

EA's blockbuster shooter, which depicts military action in Iran, has reportedly been banned in the country. The report comes from The Daily Star (via Industry Gamers).

The report quotes an "unnamed deputy with the security and intelligence division of Iran's police" who said "All computer stores are banned from selling this illegal game."

It's important to note that Battlefield 3 has never officially been for sale in Iran. EA does not distribute games in Iran. However, as is common in many emerging markets, pirated or gray market copies of many Western games are readily available for purchase in stores. According to the article, many computer store owners in Iran had already declined to stock the game, anticipating an eventual ban on Battlefield 3 due to its sensitive subject matter. Apparently, raids have been conducted by Iranian police, cracking down on stores that had been "secretly" stocking the game prior to the ban.

There is also a backlash against the ban online. The Far news agency has reported that over 5,000 Iranian gamers have signed an online petition protesting the ban on Battlefield.

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Comments
  • If they have a computer and access to eBay they can play it

  • of course...

  • Are you serious? Jesus Christ...First nerd gamers with no life tried to sue DICE for not including Battlefield 1943 with their purchase, And i'm still confused why people were pissed off because they wanted to buy BF3 JUST for 1943. Why the hell would you buy a 60$ game for a game you can get for 15$ ???? And now the *** Iranian government is banning A VIDEO GAME and raiding stores, possibly hurting people? Seriously....grow up people, ITS A VIDEO GAME. Get over it. MW2 showed an all out war in Washington D.C. which ended with a nuke. And do you see us banning the game? NO. Someone explain to me why people get so edgy and defensive about their "Home Turf".

  • I'd like to see a big budget FPS where America are the aggressors for once. Not because I'm anti-American, but because I'm sick of killing the same factions over and over again, there reaches a point where it just gets stupid. Nuclear threat? Russians or Muslims. Prototype super-weapons? Russians or Muslims. Elaborate plot to destabilize the West? Russians or Muslims. Generic bad guys? Russians or Muslims. If those countries feel the same way I do about that then I honestly don't blame them for banning these kinds of games.
  • Looks like many Iranian's are going to be missing out of the action....

  • I hope the petition works.

  • Did Americans get mad because some of them were killed in MW2? The answer is no.
  • I find this pretty stupid, i mean its not like its actually real.... but oh well. I remember when this happened with LFD2 in some african countries, as well as Mercenaries 2 in venezuala

  • In related news... All twelve console owners in Iran are really upset.
  • Seeing as this is the same people that kill people in the name of relgion (lies) nothing surprises me there.

  • of course the same people that bombed us happen to ban on of the funnest games yet
  • just another reason why battlefield 3 is the best game ever !!!!

  • Oh no, Iranians won't be able to buy Battlefield 3. Bummer.

  • LOL iRan

  • um, isn't the two sides Us and Russia. I dont remember having Iran in this game at all? Also, why is Russia always used in these?
  • And...this is surprising how? *laughs*

  • Some of the arrogance of the commenters in this is really concerning. Most places don't have the same free speech we do in any sense what so ever. This doesn't surprise me at all, but it's a little disheartening on both sides. It's sad to see that the Government is filtering what their people see and it's also sad to see people so arrogant to think that another country has to work exactly the same way we do. Grow up people.
  • these people being muslims i totally understand. there all hippies who hate fun
  • I read this a while ago in an Iranian website,(I'm not sure if it is official or not) but according to that, individuals who are found to own the game will be fined 500 USD and For Computer Stores who distribute the game there will be a 5 year imprisonment and penalty of 1000 USD .

  • Sarcastic Whisper: Oh wow, Iran blowing something out of proportion, go figure