Moonton rebrands MLBB Southeast Asia Cup to Mid-Season Cup; 2024 edition to take place outside SEA

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang game developer Moonton is rebranding its MLBB Southeast Asia Cup to Mid Season Cup in an effort to expand its reach after putting in additional teams, the gaming company announced last Sunday, Dec. 31.

The decision came at the heels of the mid-year tournament finally opening its doors to teams outside of the Southeast Asian region in its last year edition.

Moonton disclosed the plan as part of its 2024 roadmap which aims to further promote diversity and inclusivity for other athletes from different parts of the globe and give them opportunity to join the tournament that is dominated throughout the years by the powerhouse teams from Southeast Asian region, particularly, the Philippines.

The MSC had been exclusive to SEA teams during its first few years which began in 2017 before allowing teams from North America, Europe and Africa to join in 2023. Through six iterations Philippines bagged three titles with Aether Main, Execration and RSG Philippines winning it all in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

I Do Not Sleep from Thailand in 2017 and Onic Esports from Indonesia in 2019 and 2023 are the only teams that won it outside the Philippine squads.

Still, the countries that are expected to compete are the Philippines alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar and squads from Middle East and North Africa, East Europe and Central Asia. The tilt is also set to be joined by teams from Turkey, Mongolia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, North America, Latin America and China.

Aside from the MSC, MLBB Esports is eyeing to bolster and promote its base, showcasing other leagues like the Snapdragon Pro Series organized by EFG, the MLBB Women’s Invitational, IESF and the M6 World Championship in this year’s pipeline.