Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) mobile game ‘Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’ is currently one of the top-ranking mobile apps in the Philippines. The app was first released in 2016 and became one of the most popular apps in Southeast Asia. Moreover, it is among the first medal event esports competition at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.
The mobile game also became the center of attention among Filipinos. It can be recalled that the Philippines’ Mobile Legends Bang Bang team scored the first goal medal for esports in the Southeast Asian Games. The team was led by Kenneth Jiane “Kenji” Villa, Karl Gabriel “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, Carlito “Ribo” Ribo, Jeniel “Haze” Bata-anon, Angelo Kyle “Pheww” Arcangel, Allan Sancio “Lusty” Castromayor, and Jason Rafael “Jay” Torculas, are the first medallists for Sibol, the Philippine esports team. Related: Iloilo City as Esports Capital: Jamar Montehermoso
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) developed and published by Moonton, a ByteDance subsidiary. The mobile game surpassed the 1 billion downloads milestone and, in 2021, achieved an all-time gross of USD 1B, making it the top mobile game of its genre.
Following its success, Moonton tapped into the esports scene with the creation of a regional tournament, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) in Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa regions that serve as a qualifier for the Mobile Legends World Championship. The same game was also among the top six games chosen for the first medal event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.
Originally titled Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA, released in 2016, faced criticism due to its resemblance to the mobile game, League of Legends. Riot Games sued Moonton for copyright infringement in 2017 and the action was dismissed by the Central District Court of California in the United States due to forum non conveniens. Since then, Moonton made multiple remodeling and patch updates for differentiation and game enhancements. (Source: Fandom)
