List of banned games in Saudi Arabia doesn't include 'Blue Whale'

Following the suicide of >two children in Saudi Arabia after playing Blue Whale, media reports surfaced claiming authorities in the kingdom banned a series of video games.

The decision was reportedly made by the Saudi General Commission for the Audio-Visual Media in response to the deaths of a >13-year-old girl and >12-year-old boy in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

Among the 47 games banned in the kingdom are Grand Theft Auto V, Assassin's Creed 2, and Clash of the Titans.

However, the commission's website - which provides the full list of banned games - was last updated on July 2nd, a few days before the tragic suicides occurred. It remains unclear whether the recent ban comes in response to the suicides or not.

The list of banned games does not include Blue Whale, which may be due to to the fact that the game is played via social media platforms.

Malek Teffaha, Head of Communications at Ubisoft Middle East, addressed the news on Twitter, saying no proper sources were listed in AP's report.

"This article lists no sources whatsoever, correlates banning decisions that are years old, on games that are even older, to recent unrelated events and the 'Blue Whale' bandwagon," Teffaha wrote in a tweet.

One game on the list - namely God of War - has been banned in Saudi Arabia since 2008.

A number of children in the Arab world have fallen victim to Blue Whale, a game which >asks players to complete 50 challenges over the course of 50 days, all of which encourage self-harm, the last of which is suicide. 

The game is believed to have killed over 100 people since its launch.

Arab teens have been >hit hard with Blue Whale in recent months. 

In January, five individuals in Algeria committed suicide following their participation in the deadly online game, which was first launched in Russia in 2013. 

Dubai Police published a statement asking parents to monitor their children's downloads. In May, a WhatsApp message circulated in the UAE warning people of the online game, specifically parents. 

The Tunisian government also warned families of the potential threat, according to Al Arabiya.

The game has reached teens in Brazil, Portugal, India, and Russia, to name a few. 

It has not been "directly responsible" for any deaths, however, the individuals committing suicide have been caught playing the game. 

In August, a Siberian court sentenced the creator of the game, Philipp Budeikin, a 22-year-old Russian national, to three years in jail for "inciting Russian youths to kill themselves." 

In an interview, Budeikin was asked if he intentionally pushed teenagers to commit suicide, to which he responded:

"Yes. I truly was doing that. Don't worry, you'll understand everything. Everyone will understand", he said, according to The Times of India.