EA has temporarily removed SimCity from the Indian Origin store due to a technical exploit that has allowed gamers worldwide to buy the game from there at a cheaper rate. SimCity was being solid on Origin in India for Rs. 1,499. This translates to $28, roughly half the international price. Indian gamers now have no choice but to buy the game at retail.
Here’s the official statement from EA India, via their Facebook page:
Due to a technical exploit that is being abused by some users, EA has had to temporarily remove SimCity from the Origin Store in India. We’re working to make the game available to you once again as soon as possible. In the interim, customers in India can still pick up a copy at retail stores.
This isn’t the first time the Indian Origin store has been exploited by users out of India to buy games at a cheaper rate. It’s happened in the past with the Battlefield 3 Premium Edition, as a result of which the price of the bundle got bumped up to Rs. 3,699.