Iranian World of Warcraft gamers locked out due to US sanctions

If you are an avid Iranian gamer within the confines of the World of Warcraft, I am quite sure that having invested a fair amount of your time in the game, you would have made short work of all those nasty creatures running through dungeons and plains, ranging from elves to trolls and other magical creatures. Well, no matter the equipment you carry or how high your level is, you are still unable to match the power of the U.S. sanctions regime.

Word has it that Iranian players of World of Warcraft actually found themselves frozen out by Blizzard Activision Inc. Over the course of the last week, World of Warcraft players from Iran have shared their frustrations at this sanction against them on Blizzard’s message board, with Blizzard being unable to do anything about it since it is the long arm of the U.S. law that held the power to carry out this gaming sanction.

Blizzard sent an email last week, saying, “United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran.Blizzard tightened up its procedures to ensure compliance with these laws, and players connecting from the affected nations are restricted from access to Blizzard games and services.”

To rub salt into the wound, such ruling meant that Iranian players will not be able to receive refunds of any kind, which will obviously leave a sour taste in the mouth of honest gamers from Iran.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gaming
Tags: World of Warcraft