Fortnite Has Been Banned In Yet Another Country

There are no two ways about it: Fortnite is a global phenomenon. Ever since Epic Games’ battle royale hit the market back in 2017, its audience and reach have experienced explosive growth worldwide, swiftly integrating itself with mainstream pop culture in the process. Celebrities proclaiming their adoration of Epic’s effort has only helped bolster its exposure to the masses, as have streaming sites like Twitch and several high-profile tie-in events.

If you’ll recall, Marvel’s collaboration with the developer last year resulted in Thanos making his way in-game to promote the release of Avengers: Infinity War, a colossal campaign that no doubt prompted fans in their thousands to sign-up for a session or two. Epic confirmed yesterday via Twitter that a similar event is slated to kick-off later this week as well, to coincide with Avengers: Endgame‘s theatrical release, clearly indicating that Battle Island is just as popular today as it was this time last year.

With that said, however, Fortnite‘s domination doesn’t quite stretch to envelop all corners of the globe. Several countries have banned the title from being played or downloaded, with some, namely China, citing concerns over its addictive and immoral nature. Joining the growing list of nations to outlaw Fortnite recently is Iraq, whose government, like the aforementioned Asian country, has taken issue with its potential to cause adverse effects on Iraqi society.

As per Reuters, a statement composing part of the newly-passed resolution states that Fortnite has been given the boot “due to the negative effects caused by some electronic games on the health, culture, and security of Iraqi society, including societal and moral threats to children and youth.” Some Iraqis have already taken to social media sites in order to voice their disdain of the decision – which includes PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – though the show of protest seems unlikely to prompt a change of heart.

The announcement is likely of little consequence to Epic Games, though it’ll surely be aware of growing calls for Fortnite‘s removal from the public domain. The UK’s Prince Harry recently went on record as condemning the battle royale, calling for its ban from the country. Probably not a fan then, I take it.