Qiddiya and MOONTON Expand Global Partnership to Grow Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports Worldwide
International gaming developer and publisher, MOONTON Games, and Qiddiya City, a global destination for entertainment, sports, and culture, today announced an extension of their partnership to bring elevated experiences to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournaments to audiences worldwide. This extension further strengthens Qiddiya’s commitment to help grow the esports ecosystems of one of the world’s most popular mobile games.
Qiddiya City will bring online and offline activations in the M6 World Championship as the Global Presenting Partner, and premier MLBB Professional Leagues namely MPL MENA Seasons 5 and 6 and MPL Indonesia Seasons 13 and 14, as the Official Sponsor. The activations include the Qiddiya Play of the Day, which identifies and revisits the best in-game plays from any game through curated replays, and the Qiddiya Legends Award, which commemorates outstanding players and performances at the MPL Indonesia and MPL MENA.
Through this partnership, Qiddiya and MOONTON will provide additional multi-level support to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competitive communities in key local territories, further solidifying their commitment to building and growing a sustainable environment for athletes and fans in key territories worldwide.
Adrian Cher, Esports Head of Business Development and Sales at MOONTON Games, said: “Our strengthened partnership with Qiddiya reinforces our commitment to deliver captivating experiences to global communities. Building upon our successful collaboration, this enhanced partnership will bring fans closer than ever to their esports heroes, through even more immersive entertainment features. As the first international game publisher to partner with Qiddiya, we’re grateful for their contributions to elevating and enriching the entertainment landscape.”
Mike Milanov, Chairman of the Advisory Board Gaming & Esports at Qiddiya, said: “Our continued partnership with MOONTON Games and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a testament to our shared vision for growing the global gaming & esports community. We’re proud to play a role in the continued success of Mobile Legends, the regional MPL esports ecosystems, and M6. The goal is to level up our products, initiatives, and experiences together to serve this passionate community of fans.”
MLBB occupies multiple spots among the all-time most-watched esports events; the game’s esports events reach new viewership highs with every iteration. The recently-concluded MPL Indonesia Season 13 became the most-watched MPL event in the world with 2,225,961 Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV), according to esports analytics platform, Esports Charts. MPL MENA has recorded consistent audience growth season-on-season and will conclude Season 5 on 15 July after recently undergoing an overhaul to reflect the league’s rapid growth and elevated status in the MLBB Esports ecosystem.
In December 2023, Qiddiya City became the first-ever Global Presenting Sponsor of the M5 World Championship which achieved the historic peak concurrent views (PCU) of 5,067,106, becoming the 2nd most watched esports event in 2023 and the 3rd most watched of all time, according to esports analytics partner, Esports Charts.
Get to know more about MLBB Esports through the following channels:
About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the most popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game worldwide that brings communities together through teamwork and strategy. With over 1.465 billion installations and 110 million active monthly users, the award-winning game is among the top 10 most played in over 80 countries. With an extensive reach across the Asia Pacific region, the multiplayer is available in 139 countries with an expansive global esports presence.
About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports
Established in 2017, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports serves as a platform for players to pursue their dreams of becoming esports athletes and illuminate opportunities within the international esports ecosystem. MLBB Esports has since expanded to multiple leagues, including the MPL series hosted in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
About MOONTON Games
Established in 2014, MOONTON is a global video game company dedicated to gaming development, publication, and esports. With more than 1,600 employees worldwide, the company operates offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Latin America, Hong Kong, and mainland China. It has successfully launched several high-profile mobile games globally and has built long-term relationships with governments and esports organizations in more than 30 countries around the world. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is its current star game and the leading mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game worldwide. For more information, visit https://en.moonton.com.
About Qiddiya City
Qiddiya City is Qiddiya’s inaugural project; a new global destination built from scratch on the foundations of play. Located at the heart of the Tuwaiq Mountains just 40 minutes from Riyadh, the vibrant city brings entertainment, sports and culture together in a way never seen before.
Upon completion, Qiddiya City will offer a high quality of life to residents and visitors with a wide range of attractions and experiences, including a global center for gaming and esports, a multi-use stadium, golf courses, a motorsports area with racetrack, a water theme park and a Six Flags theme park.
With Qiddiya’s “Power of Play” philosophy at its heart, the city is designed to host some of the world’s biggest sports competitions, festivals, concerts, and cultural events. Sustainability and wellbeing have also been woven into its urban plan, with residential, retail, and office spaces blended with extensive green zones, cultural centers and top-tier healthcare and education facilities.
About Qiddiya Gaming & Esports District
Launched in December 2023, the Qiddiya Gaming & Esports District will be world’s first mix-use gaming and esports district, attracting gamers from across the globe and cementing Saudi Arabia as the rapidly-growing industry’s global epicenter. Located prominently within Qiddiya City, the Gaming & Esports District will be home to multiple dedicated esports venues — one of which will be among the top three largest in the world — plus next-gen facilities that will host up to 19 top-tier esports clubs at once, each with dedicated facilities like scrim rooms and strategy theater –– and the regional headquarters of leading video game companies. The vibrant space covers more than 500,000 square meters of gaming space and aims to attract 10 million visits annually, with 100,000 square meters set aside for retail, dining and entertainment venues.
Moonton is the latest strategic partnership to be announced as part of Qiddiya City’s role in powering up gaming products, experiences, and IP for the passionate global gaming community. Previously announced partnerships include Esports World Cup where Qiddiya City will become home to the penultimate event and a five-year partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) supporting IEM, ESL Counter-Strike Pro Tour, ESL Dota 2 Pro Tour, ESL Impact, ESL Challenger, EFG’s digital platform FACEIT, and the DreamHack festivals. Follow Qiddiya Gaming on X, Instagram, and join our community on Discord.
