Image: MOONTON Games, Saudi Esports Federation
This is the latest step in MOONTON's ongoing effort to expand Mobile Legends' presence in the Saudi Arabian esports scene.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) developer MOONTON Games and the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF) announced on Friday (September 30) that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help further grow the esports industry in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the MoU, both MOONTON and the SEF committed to develop and execute potential growth plans for Saudi Arabia's esports industry through hosting professional tournaments, increased marketing efforts, as well as education and community development drives.
In line with this, the SEF committed to once again feature MLBB as one of the esports titles in its 2025 calendar while MOONTON will provide in-game, marketing, broadcast, and technical assistance.
The signing of the MoU between MOONTON and the SEF follows MLBB being featured as one of the main titles in the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2024 in Riyadh back in July.
The EWC hosted two MLBB events: the new MLBB Mid-Season Cup (MSC) and the MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI). The MSC was notably a rebrand of the old MLBB Southeast Asia Cup as the annual event was moved from Southeast Asia to Saudi Arabia. Malaysian team Selangor Red Giants notably took the championship of the 2024 MSC while the Philippines' Smart Omega Empress were crowned the 2024 MWI champions.
The MoU was signed between MOONTON Managing Director of Global Esports Lucas Mao and SEF Chief Executive Officer Turki Alfawzan on the sidelines of the New Global Sport Conference (NGSC) held in Riyadh. The NGSC was notably hosted alongside the Esports Awards 2024, where MLBB was named as the Mobile Esports Game of the Year.
Lucas Mao had this to say on the signing of the MoU:
MLBB has grown steadily in the Kingdom, especially the size of our fan base and the competitive levels of its esports athletes. Most recently, we have seen this at the MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2024, held in conjunction with the Esports World Cup in Riyadh; both of MENA's representatives, Twisted Minds and Team Falcons, put in impressive performances in front of home crowds. However, there are still tremendous opportunities to expand the esports ecosystem further. We could not be more delighted to collaborate with SEF, who has been the driving force of the Kingdom’s esports sector and the entity in charge of nurturing elite gaming athletes, developing the gaming community and growing the sector in alignment with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. Together, we look forward to cultivating an open esports ecosystem that is inclusive, diverse, and competitive.
Turki Alfawzan added:
Saudi Arabia is rapidly establishing itself as the global hub for gaming and esports, and we are thrilled to welcome MOONTON Games as a key partner in this journey. The passion for gaming among our population is unparalleled, and through partnerships like this, we are attracting the world's leading developers and publishers to the Kingdom. We have strongly supported MOONTON Games’ esports activities in Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region, including the MLBB Professional League (MPL) MENA, which has quickly become the region's most-watched esports league since its inception in 2022. With our combined expertise and shared vision, we are confident that we will elevate the Kingdom's esports scene to unprecedented heights.
MOONTON's signing of the MoU with the SEF is the latest step in an ongoing effort by the developer to grow MLBB's presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
MOONTON has hosted regional MLBB tournaments in MENA since 2022, with the 2023 tournaments even serving as qualifiers to the 2023 MLBB Southeast Asia Cup, 2023 MLBB Professional League Invitational, and M5 World Championship. The MENA region was further integrated into the MLBB scene this year with the formal establishment of the MLBB Professional League (MPL) MENA.
MPL MENA is currently in its sixth season, with the 2022 and 2023 regional tournaments being treated as the league's first four seasons. The league's Regular Season will run until September 21, with the Playoffs to be hosted from September 26 to 28.
The two best-performing teams in MPL MENA Season 6 will represent the region in the M6 World Championship, this year's edition of MLBB's annual world championship tournament that will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November. The MPL MENA Season 6 champions will qualify to M6 itself while the runners-up will have to start in the tournament's Wildcard Stage.