Mobile Legends back with a bigger bang

The world's top Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) players will be back in Singapore for the second time this year, with the game's publisher Moonton Games announcing that the Dec 6-19 MLBB M3 World Championship will take place in the Republic.

Singapore had hosted 12 teams for the second edition of the competition, the US$300,000 (S$405,000) M2, which was won by Filipino team Bren Esports, in January.

M3 will feature 16 teams from around the globe, including teams from new regions such as the Middle East, North America, Latin America and Turkey, who will fight for a share of the US$800,000 prize pool.

The event, which will see the winners take home US$300,000, is organised in conjunction with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

Two Singapore teams - RSG SG and Evos SG - have also earned a spot in the competition following their top-two finish at the MLBB Professional League Singapore Season 2 last month.

The participating teams will be seeded into three pools, and further grouped into four different batches through a lottery to ensure that no teams from the same region will be in the same group.

The venue of the competition has not been announced.

Moonton Games added that all travelling players, staff and talent will serve a quarantine period as well as undergo daily temperature checks and antigen rapid tests throughout the event.

January's M2 was also held with strict coronavirus measures in place and despite three players from Brazilian team DreamMax testing positive for Covid-19, the tournament went on smoothly behind closed doors.

There were no other cases and the team competed while isolating in their hotel rooms.

"We are thrilled to have M3 in Singapore again this year," said Lucas Mao, Moonton Games' managing director of e-sports.

Teams will compete for a slice of the US$800,000 prize pool next month.

"The Singapore Tourism Board and local authorities have been working closely with us to produce a safe and hospitable event for all gamers.

"We are very much grateful for the continued partnership, and we look forward to reaching new e-sports heights with M3."

With M3 being the fourth international e-sports tournament that will take place in Singapore this year, Jean Ng, STB's executive director for attractions, entertainment and tourism concept development, believes that the Republic has proven its ability to host these major e-sports events.

Apart from the two MLBB tournaments, Singapore has also staged the US$500,000 One Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major Presented by PGL and US$2 million Free Fire World Series 2021 Singapore.

The Global Esports Games will also be held here from Dec 17 to 19.

Ng said: "We are excited to welcome the largest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament back to Singapore this year.

"Moonton Games' confidence in hosting the M3 World Championship in Singapore is testament to our ability to execute events safely and reinforces our position as a world-class e-sports destination."