CoD Mobile Becomes Banned In Iran Leaving Players Confused
Despite having access to Call of Duty: Mobile since its inception in October 2019, players in Iran have been permanently blocked from the game. The Iranian player base was left in tatters, as Activision banned the app in the region, leaving millions of players bitterly disappointed.
Players with the app downloaded will now be faced that an announcement that reads "Unfortunately, we are not yet ready to release the game in your area," and will stop them from accessing the game.
According to a report from Iran Computer and Video Games Foundation, an approximation of 32 million gamers were impacted by the ban.
The wave of blockages comes as a result of rising tensions between the United States and the Iranian Government, something which has seen many apps and games banned in the past, such as League of Legends and Clash of Clans.
Players who also look to bypass the blockage will be met with a 10-year account ban. Some players have begun to report that the lengthy expel is in play for those looking to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), a method that changes the regions known to your app. Such a method has been heavily influential on Iranian gaming, allowing players to access better servers and boycott regional bans, although it now seems Activision has countered this with a decade-long banishment.
The Iranian player base has since taken to social media to express their concerns, with some players pleading for their account back by stating "people are not their governments".
Other players also added that Iran "genuinely had some talent into this game and people have built their job on this game."
It remains unclear as to whether players who invested money into skins and other in-game microtransactions will be refunded, or whether Activision may look to reverse this decision in the future.
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