Negotiations to bring foreign video game servers onto Iranian soil have halted entirely, according to Mohammad Haji Mirzaei, managing director of Iran's National Foundation for Computer Games. In a recent interview, he said talks that had been progressing with several international publishers - notably Chinese companies - were suspended following the events and upheavals of the Iranian calendar year 1404, leaving gamers once again dependent on distant, often congested infrastructure.
Why Local Servers Matter for Gamers
The technical case for hosting game servers inside Iran is straightforward. When a server sits far from a player, data must travel longer physical distances, producing higher latency, or "ping" - the delay between a player's action and its registration in the game. For real-time multiplayer titles, this delay can mean the difference between a stable, responsive experience and one marked by lag, disconnections, and unpredictable performance. Haji Mirzaei noted that in many parts of the world, localizing a server measurably reduces ping, improves connection stability, and cuts down on momentary outages. For Iranian gamers, who already contend with sanctions-related restrictions on digital infrastructure, local hosting would have addressed a persistent and tangible frustration rather than a cosmetic one.
A Fragile Negotiation, Now Frozen
Before the turmoil of 1404, the Foundation had been in active discussions with numerous foreign game companies, with some talks - particularly those involving Chinese partners - described as moving in a positive direction. Those conversations have since gone quiet. Haji Mirzaei said foreign counterparts are now in a holding pattern, waiting to see whether conditions stabilize enough to justify resuming cooperation and maintaining a presence in the Iranian market. "At present, no negotiations are underway," he said, adding that the Foundation is waiting for circumstances to permit a restart. This illustrates a broader pattern familiar to anyone tracking digital infrastructure under geopolitical strain: technical cooperation is often the first casualty of political instability, even when the underlying commercial logic remains sound.
Infrastructure, Access, and the "Classed Internet" Debate
A significant part of the interview addressed a more delicate policy question: how to provide gamers with access to sanctioned platforms and tools - including services like Qwen and Kimi AI models, Figma, and the Unity game engine - without creating what he called a "classed" or "privileged" internet. Haji Mirzaei drew a sharp distinction between infrastructure that helps users circumvent externally imposed restrictions, such as U.S. sanctions, and commercial schemes that first block access and then charge users to restore it - a model he associated with the controversial "Internet Pro" plans that drew public criticism in Iran. In his framing, tools such as DNS services or other circumvention mechanisms exist to help users reach necessary services regardless of their underlying internet connection, and the state's obligation is to ensure baseline infrastructure remains free at its most basic layer, even if private operators choose to offer premium, subscription-based alternatives to cover server costs.
This distinction matters because it shapes public trust. Haji Mirzaei warned explicitly against allowing the perception to take hold that authorities are restricting access only to later sell its restoration - a narrative he said could undermine the entire initiative regardless of its technical merits. He added that Iran's infrastructure operator has expressed willingness to provide capacity to any foreign game company prepared to relocate its servers, suggesting that, absent political disruption, the technical and institutional appetite for such projects persists even as the diplomatic and security environment remains the deciding factor.