BATH, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 15: In this photo illustration a smartphone screen displays the logo of social media app TikTok on January 15, 2025 in Bath, England. The US Congress voted to ban TikTok unless owner ByteDance sells the app to an American owner by January 19 2025. However, President-elect Donald Trump has now urged the US supreme court to pause implementation of the law that would ban the popular Chinese social media app until after he takes office. (Photo by Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
If you’re a gamer, TikTok‘s ban probably didn’t affect you as much as you’d have thought. That is unless you play Mobile Legends: Bang Bang or are a fan of Chinese games. Late Saturday night on Jan. 18, American players of MLBB lost access to play their game on the grounds it maker, Moonton, is owned by ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok. Saturday night was one of their esports events, Rising Open, where players could 5v5 team up to dominate the matches for exclusive skin rewards and other items.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s North American Discord server section buzzed with confused players complaining about being locked out of the app or stuck on the loading screen. Some players suggested using a VPN to resolve the issue. This bannable offense risks lagging you, your teammates or the enemy team.
India has banned TikTok and Chinese games. This led to Indian players using VPNs to access Chinese-owned games like Perfect World, a Xianxia MMPORG, and Mobile Legends: Bang, a MOBA game.
Players watched in real-time as they were booted off the server, leaving the NACT division (the North American esports division) missing an entire country yet again and further cementing the allegations that Moonton wanted to weaken the North American esports gamer division.
Players in the United States received the message, “We are sorry that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is not currently available in your country or region (USA)” on their loading screens. Further searching gave players a link to download their data or delete their accounts. At the same time, the developers fought to bring the game back online in the U.S., but MLBB is still not back. At the same time, TikTok was accessible both in-app and app stores, emphasizing that if you’re truly bored, you can join the newest TikTok dance trend or watch other videos instead of considering the next moves as a gamer.
The ironic highlight of the night was fans begging the incoming president to save their game in the Discord server. Initially, President Donald Trump championed the bill in his first term, and President Joe Biden eventually signed it into law, but neither side wants to own their actions.
The law banning TikTok directly targets ByteDance and Moonton’s MLBB. In the past, the Shanghai-based company Moonton dealt with legal woes with other gaming companies, but now they have to contend with the weight of the U.S. government.
Players in the Discord server were slapped across the face with the realization that their MOBA game was caught up in the political machinations of the U.S. government. Those who spent up to $15,000 or more on their accounts for skins can now decide whether to charge back for the money they spent or cash out entirely.
If you are worried that this law will target your latest favorite Chinese-based game or app, this part of the law should clarify it for you, “(A) any of- (i) ByteDance, Ltd; (ii) TikTok; (iii) a subsidiary of or a successor to an entity identified in clause (i) or (ii) that is controlled by a foreign adversary; or (iv) an entity owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by an entity identified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); or (B) a covered company that- (i) is controlled by a foreign adversary; and (ii) that is determined by the President to present a significant threat to the national security of the United States following the issuance of (I) a public notice proposing such determination; and (II) a public report to Congress, submitted not less than 30 days before such determination, describing the specific national security concern involved and containing a classified annex and a description of what assets would need to be divested to execute a qualified divestiture.”
The paragraph loosely explains that its target is ByteDance. The wording risks that the president could use executive orders to go after other Chinese-owned companies like Hoyoverse, Riot Games and Tencent Games in the future. The law also implies that companies providing services by using a VPN or ISP are at risk for providing access to these applications.
It all boils down to what is viewed as a threat by the president in the name of national security, leaving foreign gaming companies at risk of being told to sell or be banned from the U.S. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang‘s ban caused esports gaming to take a hit as players scramble for the game to be restored in service and the app stores. If ByteDance does not sell its game or the subsidiary of Moonton is not transferred to another company, players can expect to lose access to the game in the foreseeable future.
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