Blacklist International has announced the sale of its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) franchise spot in MPL Philippines.
As a result of the sale, a new esports organisation will participate in the league for the 2025 season. Financial details on the ownership transfer were not disclosed and the new owners of the slot have not been revealed.
Blacklist International is a well-known organisation within the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang ecosystem. The organisation is a previous winner of the M-Series, MLBB’s world championship, having been crowned M3 Champions in 2021. Since Blacklist International joined MPL Philippines in 2020, the organisation won three seasons of the competition (seven, eight and ten).
After placing third at 2023’s M5 World Championship, Blacklist placed fourth in consecutive seasons last year, resulting in the organisation missing out on M6.
According to the organisation, the decision to sell its MPL Philippines slot comes after Tier One Entertainment, the organisation’s owners, was presented with a ‘business opportunity’ that ‘aligns with the new direction’ the company wants to follow.
The lengthy statement from Blacklist International noted: “Though we believe in the future of the MLBB community, with a heavy heart, we bid a bittersweet farewell to the Blacklist MLBB men’s team, as the organisation has decided to transfer our MPL Franchise ownership to a new organisation.
“While Blacklist International is open to re-entering the league in the future, we want to use this time to reassess our position in the space.”
MPL Philippines Season 15 is set to begin in March and will run until May. The upcoming season will be the eighth season using the franchise structure, with eight teams set to participate.
Details on tournament format and prize pool have yet to be revealed.
Season 14 of the MLBB regional league achieved great success, recording its highest-ever peak viewing figures of 1.6m alongside an average viewership of 130,000 throughout the event.
Blacklist International has scaled back its involvement in esports competitions as of late. In 2024, Blacklist International disbanded its Dota 2 and Wild Rift rosters.