ByteDance-backed game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang confirmed as first to join Esports World Cup

Popular multiplayer online battle arena game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, developed by ByteDance-owned studio Moonton, will be the first competitive title in the upcoming Esports World Cup.

Moonton confirmed its participation in the global event despite the fact that parent ByteDance, the owner of TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin, decided to scale back its video game business late last year. The company has been in talks to sell several gaming operations, including Moonton.

Esports teams playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, including those from China, will battle it out for a combined prize pool of US$3.5 million during the tournament, which is set to kick off in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, in the summer, according to a Tuesday statement on Moonton's official website.

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The organiser, the non-profit Esports World Cup Foundation, has not disclosed the exact date of the event, but it said it will likely take place "during the months of July and August".

Both sides "signed a multi-year cooperation agreement", said the Shanghai-based game developer. The tournament, inaugurated this year, will be a recurring annual event, the organiser said.

Moonton chief executive Justin Yuan said the partnership "strengthens its ties with key markets such as Europe, the Americas and the Middle East".

Since its release in 2016, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has amassed 110 million monthly active users worldwide. In 2021, ByteDance acquired Moonton in a deal valuing the firm at US$4 billion, a move meant to give ByteDance a foothold in the overseas gaming market, especially Southeast Asia.

Moonton co-founder Justin Yuan (centre) at the company's Epicon 2019 event. Photo: Handout alt=Moonton co-founder Justin Yuan (centre) at the company's Epicon 2019 event. Photo: Handout>

However, a slowing economy and fierce competition have forced ByteDance to shift its focus. The company was reportedly in talks to sell Moonton, Reuters reported in November. It was also mulling divesting other operations, including rights to at least two titles - the anime-style role-playing game Crystal of Atlan and sci-fi survival game Earth: Revival, both developed by ByteDance's Nuverse studio, the Post reported in November.

ByteDance confirmed earlier this month that it was in touch with multiple potential buyers for its video game operations, including Tencent Holdings, the world's largest gaming company by revenue.

Despite the likely ownership change, Moonton's Yuan told employees that the company would "maintain its independent operations" and "keep creating good games," according to Chinese newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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