No digital games for you! EA Origin banned in Myanmar

In years gone by, if video games were put on the embargo list for a country, then as long as you had the physical titles, you could still play them. What about today’s digital age though?

Well, EA has banned gamers in Myanmar from using its Origin gaming storefront, it was revealed on Reddit. The situation was reported by redditor trivial_sublime, living in Myanmar.

EA Games and Origin quietly bans an entire country – or, why you shouldn’t take digital distribution for granted. from gaming

“Origin is kicking an ‘Access Denied’ message to all of us. You can’t access ANY games or even see the store… If we use VPNs, we can circumvent this and access our games,” the Redditor noted, adding that sanctions on the country were lifted on 7 October.

An EA representative has attempted to clarify the situation though.

The Origin ban by EA means that gamers can’t even play their own legally acquired titles

“Hey all, The short answer here is that this occurred due to the US government trade embargo on Myanmar. In accordance with US law, EA is legally required to restrict online services to residents of countries that are embargoed. This isn’t an EA-specific issue — it’s an issue that impacts all companies offering services that are covered by trade embargoes.”

The representative acknowledged that the embargo was repealed early this month.

“As the OP has noted, the embargo on Myanmar appear to have been lifted earlier this month. Accordingly, EA is internally reviewing the situation and looking into whether and when service can be restored to Myanmar residents.”

Nevertheless, the implications of a digital gaming embargo should be concerning to anyone who has spent cash on a digital gaming platform.