MPL Malaysia in serious consideration for switch to franchise league, says MOONTON MY Esports Lead

MOONTON Games Malaysia Esports Lead says they are seriously considering switching MPL Malaysia to a franchise league format.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) developer MOONTON Games has big plans for the game's Malaysian esports scene as the developer confirmed that they are seriously considering shifting the MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia into a franchise league. This comes after MPL Malaysia introduced paid tickets for fans to watch the league live following its success in 2024.

In a group interview, MOONTON Games Malaysia Esports Lead Fikri Rizal Mahruddin confirmed the developer's interest in making MPL Malaysia the third domestic MLBB esports league to follow a Franchise League format after MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines.

“We are seriously considering the shift to franchise league format in the mid-term future.”

Mahruddin also admitted that they still need to develop a comprehensive plan before they can turn MPL Malaysia into a franchise league. However, they looked at MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines as examples for how valuable a franchise league is to teams' stability and security by giving them a longer-term investment in MLBB esports.

He continued by saying that both MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines have shown a more structured ecosystem for athletes and, overall, a more sustainable esports ecosystem. Mahruddin thinks that the possibilities are limitless with a franchise league and can benefit the Malaysian esports scene. With that said, he added that they may not fully copy both models but need to consider the needs of the local ecosystem.

Paid tickets for MPL Malaysia a reinvestment into the league

Mahruddin also clarified MOONTON's reasons for introducing paid tickets on MPL Malaysia, citing the success of the league in 2024. Last year, MPL Malaysia Season 14 peaked at over 800,000 viewers with over 13 million hours watched, according to Esports Charts. Mahruddin says the paid tickets are a way for MPL Malaysia to reinvest back into the league to improve the fan experience not only locally but also globally.

“I think it's a why for us to introduce nominal ticket price for Season 15 as a step for our multi-year growth plan. This will let us improve the quality of our events. Reinvest into fan experience and elevate the league's stature. Not just within Malaysia, but internationally as well.”

Mahruddin said that the community has a mixed reaction to the paid ticketing, as expected. However, looking at the response from the community, he believes that they care about MPL Malaysia and want to see the league grow to further heights. He believes that this is the step they must take to elevate the local ecosystem in Malaysia.

I think this is a step we have to take to elevate the local ecosystem in Malaysia. This is also part of our multi-year strategy to ensure Malaysia as a top ecosystem in the world and ensure that we are leading the esports ecosystem in Malaysia.

MPL Malaysia starts on 19 April 2025 with Selangor Red Giants OG facing Team Vamos in the opening series. The league's Regular Season will run until 25 May, with the Playoffs to follow from 30 May to 15 June.