Mobile Legends 'temporarily suspended' in US amid TikTok shutdown

Game developer Moonton announced that the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be "temporarily suspended" in the United States starting January 19, 2025.

The development was announced Sunday (Philippine time), while TikTok went dark for its US users.

Moonton is under Nuverse, a subsidiary of TikTok owner ByteDance.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, access to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in the US will unfortunately be temporarily suspended starting January 19, 2025," MLBB said in a Reddit thread for its North American players, adding that it is aware that some users are unable to access the game.

"Although we are unable to provide service in the US, we encourage you to stay updated by following our official community channels for the latest news. We deeply value our vibrant player community and are actively exploring possibilities to bring the game back in the future. Services in other regions will remain available as usual."

Although MLBB is temporarily suspended, Moonton assured its users that their accounts will not be suspended or deleted, while saying services in other regions will not be affected. 

"Although we are unable to provide service in the US, your account will not be suspended or deleted. We encourage you to stay updated by following our official community channels for the latest news," it added.

"We deeply value our vibrant player community and are actively exploring possibilities to bring the game back in the future. Services in other regions will remain available as usual."

ByteDance acquired Moonton in March 2021 as the company eyed making an expansion in video games. 

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law banning TikTok in the US on national security grounds if ByteDance does not sell the app by Sunday. US President-elect Donald Trump earlier said he would "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News