During the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, Ray Ng, Head of the Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, revealed the details of a massive expansion strategy for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Despite its status as one of the most popular esports disciplines with a dominant audience in Southeast Asia, the company aims to actively conquer Western markets by building local ecosystems.
Unlike previous expansion attempts in 2020–2022, MOONTON's current strategy is based on close cooperation with local partners for the organic, from-scratch development of the community:
- Europe: Through a partnership with the SURGE agency, the company is developing communities in Germany, France, Italy, and other countries. Western European teams have received the opportunity to compete for a spot in the international arena through the wildcard stage for the first time.
- Americas: A bilateral agreement has been signed with NODWIN Gaming covering North and South America. MOONTON provides prize pools and marketing, while NODWIN is responsible for production.
The American ecosystems were merged to increase the level of competition. This has already yielded results: at the recent Championship Tour, a team from South America defeated North American representatives for the first time. The pilot tournament itself in Lima (Peru) was held in a new format, combining classic esports with musical shows (including rap battles), which received positive feedback from the audience and attracted new local sponsors.
To ensure fairness and security amidst the growing number of community tournaments, MOONTON, in collaboration with the Esports Integrity Commission, is implementing unified competition protocols.
The developer has also formalized integration pathways for esports organizations. New and grassroots clubs go through a system of open qualifiers and elimination tournaments (like Weibo Gaming in Myanmar), while experienced organizations, such as Team Liquid, can obtain franchise slots.
MOONTON uses a clear formula to determine priority markets based on the ratio of daily active users to the country's total population:
- Over 10% (Mature Markets): Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Mongolia. Here, the company makes direct investments and creates franchise leagues.
- From 5% to 10% (High-Potential Markets): Regions where targeted marketing is directed.
- From 1% to 5% (Early Interest): Regions currently at the stage of early interest.
Turkey, which falls into the 5-10% category and already has strong local teams (Aurora, FUT Esports), will host the World Championship (M Series) this year. This is a historic step for the discipline, as the main tournament will leave Southeast Asia for the first time.
The MLBB audience remains extremely young:
- 30% of players are under 18 years old
- 40% are between 18 and 23 years old
- 20% are older than 23
Such a demographic profile is ideal for global brands. Visa, whose sponsorship integration primarily reached a youth audience during the M7 tournament, is currently negotiating to extend its partnership at the tournament in Turkey alongside Red Bull.
The gender ratio among players globally is 75:25, but in the Middle East and Turkey, the share of women has grown to 40%. This is facilitated by MOONTON's targeted women's tournament program, whose local qualifiers are tied to the Esports World Cup scene.
Regarding the acquisition of MOONTON by Saudi Arabia's Sovereign Wealth Fund in March 2026, Ray Ng refrained from detailed comments but emphasized that the studio continues to operate completely independently.
The company does not foresee stagnation in its player base and expects continued growth over the next 20 years, betting on demographically active countries. Furthermore, MOONTON is collaborating with government and educational institutions in Malaysia and the Philippines to ensure esports is recognized as an official and reliable career path.
Later this year, MOONTON will present an updated global roadmap. Henceforth, the company's esports strategy will be structured around five key macro-regions:
- Southeast Asia
- East Asia
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)
- North and South America
Over the next three years, the company plans to roll out a full-fledged Championship Tour model in all five regions, firmly securing MLBB's status as a truly global discipline.
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