Contents
5v5 mobile MOBA developed by Moonton
Worldwide launch on iOS and Android
November 2016
Riot Games files copyright lawsuit
June 2017
M1 World Championship (EVOS Legends wins)
November 2019
ByteDance acquires Moonton
2021
M7 sets peak viewership record (5.68M)
2025
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) was developed by Shanghai Moonton Technology, a Chinese game studio that had previously released Magic Rush: Heroes in 2015.1 The game was originally titled "Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA" before being renamed to its current title.2 Moonton soft-launched MLBB in July 2016 and followed with a worldwide release in November 2016.1 Google Play listed it among the "Best of the Year -- Best Competitive Games" for 2016.2 MLBB was the first fully mobile-based MOBA to achieve wide popularity, building a dominant player base in Southeast Asia.1 The game later received a visual and engine overhaul under the banner "MLBB 2.0."2 ByteDance subsequently acquired Moonton, bringing the studio under the same corporate umbrella as TikTok.2 As of 2025, MLBB has crossed 1 billion downloads globally.1
In June 2017, Riot Games filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.3 The suit targeted three Moonton titles: Magic Rush: Heroes, Legends: 5v5 MOBA, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.3 Tencent, Riot's parent company, aligned with Riot in the dispute.1 Moonton won a significant ruling during the proceedings; the law firm Keker Van Nest & Peters announced that "Shanghai Moonton defeats Riot Games copyright lawsuit."3 After approximately eight years of litigation, Riot and Moonton reached a global settlement with undisclosed terms.3
MLBB's flagship competitive circuit is the M World Championship series, complemented by regional Mobile Legends Professional Leagues (MPL) in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries.8 The M1 World Championship took place from November 10 to 17, 2019, at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, with EVOS Legends winning the inaugural title.8 M2 was held in Singapore and won by Bren Esports.8 M5 became the first M-Series event staged across two countries.8 M6 was won by FNATIC ONIC, representing the Philippines.8 The Philippines is the most successful region in M-Series history.8
The M7 World Championship in 2025 reached a peak viewership of 5,680,511 concurrent viewers, making it the most-watched MLBB esports event ever recorded.4 Total esports prize money has grown substantially: $3.08 million in 2021, $2.82 million in 2022, $5.27 million in 2023, $8.02 million in 2024, and $6.82 million in 2025.5 MLBB was also included in the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, which featured a $900,000 prize pool.5
MLBB averaged approximately 32.4 million monthly active players in 2025, with a peak of 37.8 million in March 2025.6 The player base experienced a 33.7% decline from September 2024 to early 2025.6 In-app purchase revenue for 2024 totaled approximately $194.99 million.7 The 2025 revenue pace is tracking at its lowest since 2019.7
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) was developed by Shanghai Moonton Technology, a Chinese game studio that had previously released Magic Rush: Heroes in 2015.1 The game was originally titled "Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA" before being renamed to its current title.2 Moonton soft-launched MLBB in July 2016 and followed with a worldwide release in November 2016.1 Google Play listed it among the "Best of the Year -- Best Competitive Games" for 2016.2 MLBB was the first fully mobile-based MOBA to achieve wide popularity, building a dominant player base in Southeast Asia.1 The game later received a visual and engine overhaul under the banner "MLBB 2.0."2 ByteDance subsequently acquired Moonton, bringing the studio under the same corporate umbrella as TikTok.2 As of 2025, MLBB has crossed 1 billion downloads globally.1
Worldwide launch on iOS and Android
November 2016
Riot Games files copyright lawsuit
June 2017
M1 World Championship (EVOS Legends wins)
November 2019
ByteDance acquires Moonton
2021
M7 sets peak viewership record (5.68M)
2025
In June 2017, Riot Games filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.3 The suit targeted three Moonton titles: Magic Rush: Heroes, Legends: 5v5 MOBA, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.3 Tencent, Riot's parent company, aligned with Riot in the dispute.1 Moonton won a significant ruling during the proceedings; the law firm Keker Van Nest & Peters announced that "Shanghai Moonton defeats Riot Games copyright lawsuit."3 After approximately eight years of litigation, Riot and Moonton reached a global settlement with undisclosed terms.3
MLBB's flagship competitive circuit is the M World Championship series, complemented by regional Mobile Legends Professional Leagues (MPL) in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries.8 The M1 World Championship took place from November 10 to 17, 2019, at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, with EVOS Legends winning the inaugural title.8 M2 was held in Singapore and won by Bren Esports.8 M5 became the first M-Series event staged across two countries.8 M6 was won by FNATIC ONIC, representing the Philippines.8 The Philippines is the most successful region in M-Series history.8
The M7 World Championship in 2025 reached a peak viewership of 5,680,511 concurrent viewers, making it the most-watched MLBB esports event ever recorded.4 Total esports prize money has grown substantially: $3.08 million in 2021, $2.82 million in 2022, $5.27 million in 2023, $8.02 million in 2024, and $6.82 million in 2025.5 MLBB was also included in the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, which featured a $900,000 prize pool.5
MLBB averaged approximately 32.4 million monthly active players in 2025, with a peak of 37.8 million in March 2025.6 The player base experienced a 33.7% decline from September 2024 to early 2025.6 In-app purchase revenue for 2024 totaled approximately $194.99 million.7 The 2025 revenue pace is tracking at its lowest since 2019.7
