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Is League of Legends Getting Banned in the US

*Is League of Legends getting banned in the US? Well, this worry came over after the legislation for the TikTok ban passed. Since Riot Games is fully owned by the Chinese company Tencent, will they also be in question? 

Will the TikTok Ban Law Affect Gaming Companies?

Worries emerged after the United States passed their new law, “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.” With this, the president now has the authority to force the sale of or ban applications based on certain criteria. The implementation of this law extends beyond TikTok, which raised questions from the community. 

Is League of Legends getting banned in the US? Well, it won’t for now. However, they are under the radar since Riot Games ticked off all the criteria. First, the app allows sharing text, video, images, or real-time communications. Second, there must be over 1 million monthly active users of the application. Lastly, the ownership is 20% or more by “foreign adversary” countries’ companies. 

In the case of Riot Games, they are under Tencent, which is 100% Chinese-run. Besides, they also have a huge player base in the US, which allows them to be subject to the law. 

Tencent’s Growing Scrutiny from US Regulators

If you can recall, this was not the first time that Tencent’s gaming gathered attention from the US authorities. Since 2020, they’ve been under examination by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). In this, it included their ownership over Riot Games, which developed many popular titles like League of Legends and Valorant.

This examination was led by the heads of major government departments such as Justice, Homeland Security, and Treasury. Good thing, Tencent is already in talks with the committee to negotiate the conditions. Yet, there’s a bit of concern over US Defense Department claims against Tencent. They are claiming that the tech giant, Tencent, has ties with the Chinese military. 

The Real Impact on League of Legends Players

Definitely, there is a possibility that a ban over League of Legends may exist, yet it is not completely certain. The situation with Tencent may be less likely than what TikTok has experienced. Unlike TikTok, League of Legends is primarily a gaming platform that has less concern about data collection. Yet, if things go south, then they’ll declare Tencent as a national security threat. This left them 270 days to sell their assets before completely shutting down.

What’s Next for Gaming Companies with Chinese Ownership?

Esports have certainly been huge and loud in the United States. At the same time, they cannot escape the problem that the new regulations will change their ways. Besides Riot Games, Fortnite’s developer, Epic Games also faces the same problem.

Tencent owns a 35% share in Epic Games, which many players have grown to like and play. The same goes for Genshin Impact, which has been popular in the community. They might need to remodel their ownership or security measures to comply with the new standard. Tough negotiation really lies ahead for these companies to avoid selling their assets. 

Conclusion

The answer is definitely a NO to Is League of Legends getting banned in the US. League of Legends focuses on gaming rather than influencing like social media apps such as TikTok. However, there might be some changes about ownership since Tencent is a 100% Chinese company. Still, you can have fun with your favorite Riot game for now. 

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I am an award-winning professional Freelance Writer with over 2 years of experience writing for Content Creators and Companies. My work includes SEO, Copywriting, Blog Writing, Content Writing, and Scriptwriting. Also, I just love strategy, MOBA, and FPS games like Valorant, Total War, and League of Legends!

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