Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s (MLBB) annual esports competition, the M3 World Championship, will take place in December in an offline venue, Moonton announced yesterday.
It will feature 16 teams from around the globe competing for a share of the prize pool and the title of world champions. More details about it haven’t been revealed yet, though.
Teams will qualify for the M3 World Championship through the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brazil, and Cambodia.
The MPL is Moonton’s premier league for the mobile MOBA game. While it has been running in countries of Southeast Asia for years, the company recently announced its expansion to Brazil and Cambodia.
The MPL Philippines has also implemented a franchise-based system for its eighth season, consisting of eight teams. It was supposed to begin on Aug. 13 but has been postponed due to COVID-19 related lockdowns in the country. This also makes it the second franchised league for MLBB after the MPL Indonesia.
Despite the pandemic, Mobile Legends has had a tremendous year in terms of esports viewership. The M2 World Championship, which was held in January, peaked at over three million viewers, according to Esports Charts. Filipino team Bren Esports came in first place in the $300,000 competition. The recent seasons of the MPL Indonesia and Philippines also had a staggering peak viewership of 1.8 million and 1.4 million, respectively.
