Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), one of the world's most popular mobile games, is no longer available for download or play in the USA. The ban is part of broader US government measures against ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok and several other popular apps, including the game developer Moonton.

The ban took effect on January 19, 2025, and is a result of national security concerns due to ByteDance's ties to the Chinese government. US legislators raised concerns about potential data privacy risks, leading to the enactment of the "Protecting Americans from Adversarial Foreign Applications Act". This law requires ByteDance to divest its US operations, and failure to comply has led to the discontinuation of several apps, including Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

Players in the USA attempting to launch MLBB encountered an error message stating that the game is no longer available in their region (USA). The game's developer, Moonton, released a statement confirming the ban, describing it as "beyond our control" and promised to explore possibilities for the game's return in the future.

Many players expressed their frustration and confusion about the reasons for blocking Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. While the situations with TikTok are understandable, the game's ban seems odd, despite being a product of the same company ByteDance.

Most people are upset about the money they invested in the game, now uncertain if they will be able to recover their funds. "Rest in peace, my $30k account, which I've been playing since launch. I just can't express how angry I am right now", lamented a player.  

Others have found a temporary workaround, namely using a VPN: "Download a free VPN app, choose that you are from Canada, log in, then turn off the VPN", recommended a Reddit user. However, the game has disappeared from marketplaces, so VPN won't be a panacea in efforts to download and update the game to newer versions.

The ban has serious implications for the esports community since MLBB is a major player in mobile competitive gaming. In 2023, the M5 World Championship drew over 5 million concurrent viewers, making it one of the most watched esports events of the year. The sudden unavailability of the game has left many players and esports fans in the USA uncertain about their future in this field.

MLBB is not the only game affected by the ByteDance ban. Other titles, such as Marvel Snap, also fall under the Nuverse brand, part of ByteDance, and have faced similar restrictions. Amid the ongoing scrutiny of ByteDance's activities in the USA, other apps like Lemon8, CapCut, and Hypic have also been blocked.

Interestingly, despite previous statements and the service's blockage, TikTok in the USA has been restored. Even though this app has the greatest potential risk (confidential data transmission, spreading fakes, etc.) compared to the blocked games.

This ban affects players within the USA, further escalating tensions between the USA and China over data privacy and national security issues. The situation remains unstable, and players await to see if a solution will emerge to bring MLBB back to the US market.