Iran blocks Clash of Clans

Iranian government censors have placed a nationwide block on Clash of Clans, citing concerns that the game promotes tribal conflict.

The mobile strategy game is hugely popular in Iran, with local distributor Cafe Bazaar claiming a 64 percent market share, based on a survey of 1,000 gamers. In Clash of Clans, players build towns by taking resources from other players, often joining large guilds to facilitate victory and share spoils.

According to the BBC, Iranian censors followed the findings of a panel of psychologists that the game encourages violence and tribal conflict. It's possible that the game will be made available in the future, but with restrictions. Iran's deputy attorney general Dr Abdolsamad Khoramabadi released a statement that the "vast majority" of the committee voted to limit the game's availability.

For now though, Clash of Clans can only be played via VPN services, which get around local blocks.

A report in Iranian blog TechRasa claimed that Iran's communications minister Mahmoud Vaezi posted on Instagram that he would bring the matter up with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. Polygon was not able to verify this. We have contacted Clash of Clans publisher Supercell for comment.

Last year, the Iranian government placed a ban on Pokémon Go, claiming it posed a security threat to sensitive locations. You can read more about gaming in Iran via our in-depth feature.