Mobile esports game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) has been unveiled as the headline esports title for Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 2025, an international multi-sport event that will host its 33rd edition in Thailand.
MLBB will have both men’s and women’s tournaments at the event, making this the fourth consecutive time that MLBB will be a medalled sport at the biennial event.
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Esports was first included in the SEA Games in 2019 with its 2023 edition hosting sic game titles across nine events in total. The selected games were Crossfire, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, VALORANT and Attack Online 2. Other titles for the SEA Games 2025 have yet to be revealed.
Alongside this announcement, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer MOONTON Games has partnered with the Thailand E-Sports Federation (TESF). The partnership aims to ‘unlock economic and tourism opportunities’ through esports which includes initiatives such as community engagement activities, promotional and marketing opportunities and the sharing of analytics.
Founded in 2013, the TESF is a regulatory authority established to manage esports in Thailand. It is currently recognised by the Sports Authority of Thailand and is a member of the International Esports Federation (IESF).
The SEA Games are set to take place from December 9th – 20th 2025 over a myriad of cities in Thailand with the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi and Songkhla acting as main host cities.
Various participants from the 11 Southeast Asian countries are expected to participate in the 11-day event. These countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam.
According to a release, MLBB currently holds the record as the SEA Games’ most-watched esport title for both its men’s and women’s tournaments. This occurred at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, where the men’s and women’s tournaments recorded peak viewership figures of 1.46m and 1.36m, respectively, according to Esports Charts.
Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, commented on the partnership: “One of the core success factors for MLBB has been our deliberate strategy to make the competitive esports ecosystem accessible and inclusive to aspiring esports athletes.
“International sporting events like the SEA Games empowers esports players, organisations, and federations by giving them a globally-recognised competitive platform to bring glory to their respective nations. MLBB’s return as a medalled event is another positive step forward for esports, which has become increasingly accepted by the Thai and wider global sporting community as a competitive sport.”
