A decade after the release of League of Legends, and the game remains one of the most popular multiplayer titles out there. However, League of Legends players in Iran and Syria attempting to log on today were met with a message that explained they can't play the game for the foreseeable future. "Due to U.S. laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time. Such restrictions are subject to change by the U.S. government, so if and when that happens, we will look forward to having you back on the rift."

For the uninitiated, there are rising tensions between the United States and Iran (Syria is allied with Iran, which is why it's also being impacted by the ban), which has seen a US drone destroyed, cyberattacks on Iran's computer systems, and Donald Trump calling in and then canceling an air strike. As the situation continues to escalate, Trump has initiated trade sanctions on Iran, meaning that trade between the US and Iran is currently banned. This has had an impact on free-to-play games with microtransactions like League of Legends, as LoL is based in the United States.

This means that League of Legends players living in Iran and Syria who have spent real money on the game can't access their accounts. Some have figured out ways around the ban, however, using things like VPNs. League of Legends players in Iran and Syria without access to VPNs will have to wait for the conflict between Iran and the United States to resolve before the ban will be lifted.

league of legends banned in iran and syria

This isn't the first time Trump administration decisions have had an impact on the video game industry. Trump's tariffs with China has reportedly seen Nintendo move production for its Switch consoles outside of the country, and the rising costs caused by the tariffs may see a price increase for next-generation consoles.

In fact, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer recently spoke about how the Trump tariffs may have a direct impact on Project Scarlett's price point, and there has already been talk about the PS5 price increasing by 25% due to the tariffs. This, like the League of Legends ban, is another situation that could change drastically in the future, largely depending on how events play out on the world stage.

Source: Dot eSports (via Game Informer)