Part of the draw for games like Battlefield 3 is the ripped from the headlines drama. We may not be on the precipice of World War III and no terrorist plots as massive as the one in BF3 have been uncovered, but the fear those plots take advantage of is real enough. Now that same real world has intruded on Battlefield 3, as the game has been banned in the country of Iran.
The BF3 prohibition seems to be based on levels in the single player taking place in Tehran, as a big shootout happens in Iran’s capital. If you know anything about Iran you can understand why they’d be unhappy with a level depicting American soldiers shooting people in Tehran, but this hardly matters to EA from a business standpoint. The game was only available in pirated forms anyway, now apparently the government is cracking down on stores selling the bootlegs. Reports say there’s been an online petition against the action, but we’re betting the government won’t be swayed. At least not by 5,000 signatures.
Source: Associated Press (opens in new tab)