Battlefield 3 Banned in Iran, Authorities Raid Shops and Arrest Owners

A brand new report says that Iranian authorities have outlawed the sale of Battlefield 3, the newest first person shooter from Electronic Arts, and have already started raiding shops and arresting their owners for selling the game even before the ruling went into effect.

Iran is definitely not a country famous for its democratic views, as the ruling Combatant Clergy Association wants to ensure its citizens aren’t subjected to outside propaganda.

Battlefield 3, a game in which Russian and Iranian terrorists attack the rest of the world and prompt the U.S. invasion of Iran, is certain among this type of propaganda, so the government has just banned it from being sold in the country.

According to Industry Gamers, the government has outlawed the distribution of the game and already started raiding shops and arresting their owners, even those who sold it secretly or just handled pirated (already illegal) copies of the first person shooter made by DICE and Electronic Arts.

EA, on its part, isn’t too concerned about this move and hopes that the ban will stop pirated copies from reaching consumers in that country.

"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," said the publisher.

What’s more, there’s even a move amongst Iranian youths, but not in favor of the game, as a petition against the sale of the game already collected more than 5,000 signatures. Among the reasons given is that the game just serves to further create a negative view of Iran amongst the rest of the world.

"We understand that the story of a videogame is hypothetical,” the petition said. “But we believe the game is purposely released at a time when the US is pushing the international community into fearing Iran."

This move on behalf of Iranian authorities just proves that the political regime isn’t fond of any propaganda aimed against it.

Still, considering the game already sold over 5 million copies since its release last month, Electronic Arts won’t be too affected by this decision.