Bilibili Gaming enters Mobile Legends esports
Bilibili Gaming are now the second major Chinese esports organisation to formally announce their entry into MLBB.
Renown Chinese esports organisation Bilibili Gaming (BLG) announced the formation of its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) division on Monday (10 March), marking a new development in China's continued integration into the MLBB esports ecosystem this year.
BLG is one of the biggest esports organisations in China, having been formed in December 2017 when popular Chinese video sharing website Bilibili acquired a League of Legends (LoL) roster. Aside from its flagship LoL team and newly-formed MLBB division, BLG also competes in other esports titles like VALORANT and Overwatch, among others.
BLG's entry into the MLBB esports scene follows the official launch of MLBB servers in China last January, with the country's own MLBB Professional League (MPL) also expected to launch within the year. BLG is also not the only major Chinese esports organisation to embrace MLBB's Chinese expansion, with Invictus Gaming announcing its entry into MLBB back in mid-January.
While BLG have yet to reveal their MLBB roster, the team is expected to be among those competing in the China MLBB Pro Invitational Stage II, which will feature 10 Chinese teams compete from 13 to 30 March.
MLBB continues Chinese expansion after landmark year in 2024
While MLBB is developed and published by a Chinese company in MOONTON Games, it took over eight years before the game would gain a solid foothold in its home country following its July 2016 launch. The game and its esports scene instead became centered around Southeast Asia, especially in countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, before it expanded to other regions in the West and eventually to China this year.
MLBB's Chinese expansion also follows a landmark year for the country's budding MLBB esports scene in 2024.
The inaugural MLBB Mid Season Cup last year saw Xianyou Gaming earn a spot in the Group Stage after winning the Chinese qualifier, though they only managed to win one game and were knocked out in 13th-16th place.
In the M6 World Championship last December, KeepBest Gaming became the first Chinese team to qualify for the M Series – MLBB's annual world championship tournament – after winning the M6 Chinese qualifier and earning a spot in the tournament's Swiss Stage. While they bowed out in 12th-14th place, it was still the best result accomplished by a Chinese team in an international MLBB tournament in the country's short time in the scene so far.
China made its first appearance in the M Series in 2023's M5 World Championship, with KeepBest Gaming earning a spot in the Wildcard Stage but failing to make it to the next stage.
While Chinese teams have yet to produce significant international results so far, the game's official launch in the country and the subsequent establishment of its own MPL bodes well for the country's future in MLBB esports. The entry of major Chinese organisations such as BLG also signals significant interest within the Chinese esports industry to compete and excel in MLBB.
