Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/29/battlefield_3_banned_in_iran/
Iran bans Tehran invasion first-person shooter
Shopkeepers arrested for stocking Battlefield 3
Posted in Games, 29th November 2011 14:35 GMT
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
EA's Battlefield 3 has been outlawed in Iran, with police allegedly arresting shop owners that secretly stock the game.
If reports are to be believed, Iranian cops are cracking down with a vengeance, raiding shops and arresting owners found to be selling pirated or imported copies of Battlefield 3 [1], Agence France-Presse reports by way of the Lebanese Daily Star.
The Iranian ban is hardly surprising considering Battlefield 3 [2] depicts a fictional US invasion of Tehran.
"The locals made sure I got stoned... help"
Iranian youths have created an online petition to campaign against the game's sale too. "We understand that the story of a videogame is hypothetical," it reads, before insisting "the game is purposely released at a time when the US is pushing the international community into fearing Iran."
Either way, EA doesn't seem too bothered and claims the ban may even be good for anti-piracy measures.
"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," the publisher said in a statement.
Not sure exactly how it works that out, though. ®