UPDATE 26/10/2023: The PH Super Pass and MVP Pass early bird ticket bundles sold out within hours of being announced, Moonton announced via a release shortly after publication.
Game developer and publisher MOONTON Games has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippines Department of Tourism to partly host Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s M5 World Championship in the country.
As a result of the partnership, MOONTON and the Department of Tourism will hold major stages of the competition in Manila, Philippines.
The M5 World Championship, run by MOONTON, is the largest MLBB tournament in the esport’s competitive calendar. This year’s iteration will run from November 23rd-December 17th and see 22 teams compete for a total prize pool of $900,000 (~£743,000).
In a press release, the Philippines Department of Tourism shared its aim to further grow the esports sector in the country by embracing the significance of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) among Filipinos. The department said it hopes to strengthen the country’s esports and wider sports tourism landscape through the M5 World Championship.
The partnership with MOONTON introduces special PH Super Pass and MVP Pass early bird ticket bundles, on sale from today through November 3rd. Both passes are available in limited quantities and allow buyers access to the Group Stage, Knockout, and Grand Finals.
Meanwhile, the M5 will be held in two countries — Malaysia and the Philippines — with the Wild Card hosted in Malaysia’s Rio Space. The later Group Stage and Knockout Stage I is set to be located in Malina’s EVM Convention Center, while the Knockout Stage II and the Grand Finals will take place at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Moreover, MOOTON and the Department of Tourism said they would reveal several tourism activations dedicated to the World Championship at a later date.
Founded in 2014, MOONTON Games is a Chinese multinational game developer and publisher behind mobile competitive MOBA game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Since its release in 2016, MLBB has attracted millions of players and fans, particularly in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
In October, MOOTON announced the participation of a Chinese team for the first time in the tournament series’ history.
Last year’s M4 World Championship is one of the most-watched esports events ever by peak viewers, at 4.2m, per Esports Charts data.
MOONTON Games PH Esports Head Logan Shaw commented on the partnership: “The Philippines is one of the biggest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang markets and among the strongest regions in MLBB esports. It is prime time to host the M5 World Championship in Manila, and we are excited to bring local and global MLBB communities together in this memorable event.
It is an immense honor to work with DOT for the international tournament, and we are grateful for their support. We hope to bring a greater level of esports tourism to the nation and simultaneously deliver an exceptional viewership experience to the fans.”
