League of Legends is one of the most popular and enduring games on the planet, but right now, due to the ongoing and growing dispute between the US and Iran and Syria, citizens from the two middle eastern countries are no longer able to access the game.
"Due to U.S. laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time," states the notification, which has been live since June 22. "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."
The wording of the notification suggests that Riot Games, the developer behind League, has little to no say on the matter. The US government's stance also raises questions about this particular exclusion and possible future restrictions. Might we see more games made unavailable in the future?
Right now players are finding ways to circumvent the ban using VNPs, but this isn't a readily available solution and, generally speaking, it sounds like players based in those countries are now missing out.
The question remains as to whether this will be an isolated incident, or whether this is just the first of many games to be restricted to players in countries that have ongoing disputes with the US.