Recently, Garena has officially blocked Vietnamese gamers from accessing the game Call of Duty Mobile in some markets where the company has published it. The fan page of the international Call of Duty Mobile also sent a message to users unable to access the game stating: “We apologize, this game is only available in Singapore, Myanmar, and the Philippines, as well as other areas under Garena’s publishing authority.”
Of course, Vietnamese gamers are not willing to sit still, they have always been like this. The harder something is, the more it drives Vietnamese players to “overcome the challenge”. If Garena blocks the IP, gamers will fake their IP or try various connections to get past Garena’s barrier.
Like many other products, there is always a clear distinction between publishers regarding versions in different countries. Previously it was PUBG Mobile, Crossfire Legends, and now Call of Duty Mobile. If the markets are published by two different companies, the best solution is “each to their own home”.
Right on the first day of being blocked, Vietnamese gamers have made efforts to change their IP address. They have even used various software and methods to bypass Garena’s restrictions. It seems that in this attempt to “eliminate”, Garena is very determined to cut off Vietnamese gamers’ escape routes.
However, recently, according to reports from many gamers are facing troubles again in their efforts to return to the international version. Changing IP information and switching networks is not a method that works for 100% of gamers. There are still chances for some to succeed and others to fail when using these methods.
Previously, the Vietnamese version of Call of Duty Mobile also announced its official release date on April 20. During the two days of the Alpha Test, the Vietnamese mobile version received mixed reactions from the community. Vietnamese gamers still tend to “defend” and show more affection for Garena’s version because one reason is that there is less hacking, alongside not being overly monetized. However, with the images below, it shows that whether it is Garena’s or VNG’s version of Call of Duty Mobile, it doesn’t matter, what matters is that this game is still being “broken” by hackers like usual, if “they” want to.
Call of Duty Mobile is the same, no matter which company operates it, from Garena to VNG or any other name, it will never be 100% safe, especially on the Android platform, which allows users to “tinker” deeply within their operating system. Broadly speaking, other mobile game products, especially eSports titles, frequently have hacks; they exist and develop in parallel with online games.
Returning to the story of Vietnamese players trying to jump the fence, it seems that during this period, Garena will continue to impose “martial law” to block all attempts of domestic gamers. Will Vietnamese players give up? This is something that “time will tell”.