Jetsetter: Iranian players still banned out of World of Warcraft

In Jetsetter for the week ending August 31, Iran is locked out of World of Warcraft, Indian MMO gets historical, and Crytek opens in China.

As Labor Day 2012 breathes down our collective necks, it’s hard not to think about domestic affairs. Football, the kind played with a brown egg-shaped piece of leather, is upon us. There is no game more American. Let us not forget ourselves as autumn descends. We’re part of a global community, and there are myriad games out there beyond our borders. So everyone else plays a far less entertaining form of football than we do. Who cares? They’ve got crazy video games out there as well.

Welcome back to Jetsetter, Digital Trends’ weekly look at the wide world of video games outside the U.S. Got a tip about some social game based on Jamaica’s thriving DJ scene? Let us know in the comments. Meanwhile, you can follow me on Twitter at @ajohnagnello.

* Iranian World of Warcraft players still locked out due to US trade sanctions.

Anyone running a WoW guild with players based in Iran are going to have to find some subs for any upcoming raids. As reported on Wednesday, Blizzard has blocked World of Warcraft players in Iran as the game’s Terms of Service prohibits Blizzard from “doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran” due to economic sanctions. It’s unusual that these players have only been locked out in the past week though. First, because Blizzard’s Terms of Service should have blocked players in Iran—as well as those in Syria, Cuba, and North Korea as well as others—from play for a while. The more likely cause is a brochure released in Iran by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which bans play of WoW, as well as Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and Guild Wars because of the “promotion of superstition and mythology” or “demonstration of inappropriate clothing and slutty outfits for female avatars.” This is why no one likes you, Iran.

* Open beta for Indian MMO Vinashi starts.

India’s Gamiana has started an open beta for its MMO strategy game Vishani ahead of the game’s official release on mobile devices and browsers in September. There are plenty of MMOs out there, but there aren’t too many that build their worlds on the rise of the Mughal Empire in India during the 16^th century.

* Germany’s Crytek opens China studio.

The studio behind Crysis and the capable engine that bears its name, Crytek, opened a studio in Shanghai earlier this month. The company’s been working with China’s gaming giant Tencent for a few years now, but this new studio will mark an increased presence for Crytek’s games in the region. The Shanghai studio will focus exclusively on Chinese language support for existing games and adding features to online games suited to the country’s players.