The Philippines and Indonesia clinched gold medals at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Male and Female categories. The MLBB esports competitions were held at NABA Theater, Nagaworld 2, Phnom Penh, from 10 – 14 May 2023.
Clinching the gold medal for the third time
Team Philippines edged Malaysia via sweep or 3:0 in a best-of-five (Bo5) series in the Male Category. The country’s delegates were Angelo Kyle D. Arcangel, Michael Angelo E. Sayson, Marco Stephen B. Requitiano, David Charles L. Canon, Rowgien Stimpson N. Unigo, and Nowee C. Macasa. The team is led by coaches Francis “Ducky” Glindro and Vrendon Lin.
Besting out eight other countries, the Philippines already has three gold medals from the biennial SEA Games tournament. Its team captain Angelo Kyle D. Arcangel is now the first-ever two-time Southeast Asian gold medalist in MLBB.
Team Malaysia settled for a silver finish, while teams Myanmar and Cambodia received bronze medals after landing in the third and fourth spots.
Highest peak-concurrent viewership ever for a female esports tournament
In the Female Category, Indonesia dismantled the Philippines with a score of 3:2 in a best-of-five (Bo5) match series held last 11 May 2023.
Team Indonesia was represented by Vivi Indrawaty, Viorelle Valencia Chen, Cindy Laurent Siswanto, Isnaini Nurfajrih Machdita, Venny Lim, and Michelle Denise Siswanto. They were headed by coach Tasia Eda Lestari. The peak concurrent viewership for the female tournament recorded a new high of 1,367,274, making it the most-watched female esports tournament ever, according to Esports Charts.
Team Philippines notched a silver podium finish, while Teams Malaysia and Vietnam settled for 3rd and 4th spots and received bronze medals.
This is the first time the Southeast Asian multi-sport event featured a standalone MLBB tournament for women. A total of six (6) teams joined, including Laos and the host country Cambodia. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports fans can still look forward to exciting battles in June, as the upcoming MSC 2023 will, too, be hosted in Cambodia for the very first time. The international event will feature global teams hailing from North America, Turkey, and the Middle East.