On April 3, the China Masters S2 for "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang" (MLBB), operated by Moonton Technology, officially commenced. According to the tournament rules, the champion and runner-up of China Masters S2 will qualify for the MLBB Continental Tour East Asia (MCT EA), where they will compete against teams from Mongolia, Japan, and South Korea for a spot in the 2026 Esports World Cup - MLBB Mid-Season Cup (MSC).
Notably, this marks the first update regarding MLBB's esports events in the Chinese market since Moonton Technology was sold by ByteDance for over $60 billion (approximately 41.3 billion yuan) to Savvy Games Group, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). On January 23, 2025, the Chinese version of MLBB, titled "Mobile Legends: Bang Bang," launched its public test and simultaneously announced a series of supporting event plans, including the China Pro Invitational, Esports World Cup qualifiers, and a professional esports league. Subsequently, the MLBB 2025 International Peak Cup and China Masters were held in Guangzhou and Shanghai in April and September, respectively, and in December, MLBB was included as an official event in the 2025 Shanghai Esports Masters.
However, with Moonton's official sale to Saudi Arabia's Savvy, questions have arisen about the future operation and esports events for MLBB in the Chinese market. The Chinese version, which is not a primary source of revenue or audience for MLBB and faces direct competition from strong rivals like "Honor of Kings" and "League of Legends: Wild Rift," may not maintain the same operational pace it had under ByteDance.
MLBB's esports system is expanding robustly. Although the Chinese version has not fundamentally shaken the market dominance of top MOBA products domestically (aside from briefly topping iOS free charts at launch, it has since failed to rank highly on major store charts), its global expansion remains rapid. As Moonton's core IP, MLBB has established a multi-tiered global esports system, including regional professional leagues (MPL), the global Mid-Season Cup (MSC), and the world finals (M-Series), along with various regional challenger and qualifying events.
Parallel to the development of its esports system, MLBB is implementing large-scale regional league mechanisms. According to Moonton's global esports plan released in early 2026, MLBB will focus on "cross-continental expansion," adding an Americas region and fully upgrading to a five-region system (Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas) to achieve global coverage.
In terms of esports commercialization, MLBB has demonstrated strong monetization capabilities: the prize pool for the 2025 M7 World Finals reached $1 million, attracting 22 top teams from 14 core regions and wildcard regions, setting new records for viewership and commercial partnerships. Regionally, Southeast Asia remains MLBB's stronghold, with MPL Southeast Asia having a mature professional system. The Malaysian Professional League will upgrade to a partnership model in 2026, and Thailand will launch a super league (MSL Thailand) to further develop local talent.
Behind this extensive event structure is MLBB's growing global user base. Previously released data indicates MLBB has over 110 million monthly active users and more than 1.5 billion registered users across 100 countries and regions, consistently leading the mobile MOBA category in Southeast Asia, with penetration exceeding 30% in some countries. Esports, as a key derivative of the game IP, plays a vital role in maintaining user engagement and expanding sponsorship and business models.
Beyond China, Moonton announced that the next MLBB World Finals, M8, will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, marking the series' first entry into Europe and signaling deeper European expansion. Additionally, with Savvy as Moonton's parent company, its gaming industry network covering the Middle East and the Americas may further accelerate MLBB's growth in those markets.
It is worth noting that Moonton is not the first Chinese gaming-related company invested in by Saudi Savvy. As early as February 2023, VSPO announced receiving 1.8 billion yuan (then approximately $265 million) from Savvy Games Group, making Savvy its largest external shareholder. Established in late 2021 and fully owned by PIF, Savvy is tasked with advancing Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030" in digital entertainment and gaming, aiming to make the country a global hub for gaming and esports by 2030 and diversify the economy away from oil.
In 2022, the Saudi government announced a $38 billion investment to support game industry development, focusing on global content and IP, esports events and distribution, gaming infrastructure and development platforms, and local education and industry capacity building. As a core executor of Vision 2030 in gaming and esports, Savvy is building a global gaming empire through a mix of full acquisitions and equity investments, often targeting leading companies and mature assets. Its portfolio spans game development, publishing, and esvents across Europe, the U.S., the Middle East, and Asia.
Interestingly, Savvy's acquisition of Moonton sparked discussions about Moonton's actual revenue, though the company has not disclosed detailed financial data. According to indirect estimates from industry sources like SensorTower, Moonton's annual profit exceeded $200 million in 2022, with current annual revenue estimated at no less than $1 billion.
A key advantage of acquiring mature gaming businesses is the ability to integrate them quickly into comprehensive events like the Saudi Esports World Cup. After assembling a portfolio of established gaming assets, Savvy aims to create a synergistic ecosystem leveraging regional and global influence. For example, VSPO, a top global esports operator, has experience across event organization, venue management, content production, and broadcasting, having managed official events for major IPs across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
With Moonton under its umbrella and a diverse portfolio including ESL Gaming and VSPO, Savvy is well-positioned to promote MLBB events beyond Southeast Asia to the Middle East, Americas, and Europe. Enhancing the Chinese market is likely part of this strategy, which may explain Moonton's continued push for domestic esports events. In a recent interview, Savvy's CEO stated that despite industry challenges, the group remains committed to aggressive expansion, with a future goal of balancing business equally between Eastern and Western markets. He affirmed that gaming will remain relevant for decades, and Savvy intends to continue hunting for major opportunities.
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