League of Legends: US sanctions prevent access in Iran and Syria

The increasing tensions in the Middle East between Iran and the USA are now also having a surprising impact on the gaming sector: As the website Dot Esports reports, access to the popular free-to-play title League of Legions is currently blocked in both Iran and Syria.

Players in the respective countries will receive a message when logging in that access to the game is not possible.

This is mainly due to the US sanction against Iran, which prohibits companies from doing business with the Islamic Republic. Since microtransactions finance the League of Legends, the American view is that the conditions for the ban are met. Manufacturer Riot Games had to bow and had no great say. The players understandably do not like the step: It is argued in forums that the ban does not affect politicians, but the civilian population, which is already suffering.

Meanwhile, some users are trying to gain access again via a VPN tunnel, but such technical tricks are associated with high costs in these countries. Officially, it will remain so for the time being that Syria and Iran will no longer be allowed to play in League of Legends.