• The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) developmental league by MOONTON Games and IO Esports returns on 2 September after an era-defining first season.
• The format revamp will split the Regular Season into two stages – to increase the league's competitive level and offer the top teams from both the Affiliate Conference and Challenger Conference more opportunity to hone their skills against each other.
• At stake is promotion to MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia, the highest tier of MLBB competition in the nation.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 30 August – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Academy League Malaysia (MAL MY) returns next week for Season 2 after an historic first season! Organised by MOONTON Games and IO Esports, the new season of MLBB's developmental league has revamped its competitive format to increase the league's competitive level and strengthen the pace of development of Malaysia's esports talent pipeline.

Launched in January this year, MAL MY acts as the bridge between Malaysia's grassroots and national-level esports. It unites the nation's top third-party community tournaments by inviting their strongest representatives to battle for promotion to the biggest competitive stage in Malaysia – MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia. MAL MY aims to build the esports talent pipeline in the nation by providing young players with a more structured entry into the world of professional esports, and prepares Malaysia to host the M6 World Championship, MLBB's flagship international tournament.

Revamped Format: All You Need To Know

Unchanged from MAL MY's inaugural season, Season 2 will comprise two separate conferences – the Challenger Conference, comprising the top six teams from MAL MY Season 1 and two teams from the Open Qualifiers; and the Affiliated Conference, which features the junior teams from Season 14 of MPL Malaysia. Both conferences will have eight teams each in Season 2, for a total of 16 teams.

The Season 2 Regular Season has been revamped and will take place across two stages, with Stage 1 to run from 2 to 24 September and Stage 2, from 25 September to 10 October. Stage 1 will see teams play Best-Of-Two (BO2), single round-robin matches within each of their Conferences. The top six teams from each Conference will progress to Stage 2, the cross-Conference leg of the competition. Each team will play against the six teams from the other Conference, after which highest-placed four teams from each Conference will qualify to the Playoffs. The Playoffs will take place from 24 to 27 October (see Appendix A for the MAL MY Season 2 Factsheet and Appendix B for the MAL MY Season 2 Regular Season Schedule).

The 1st-placed Challenger Conference team after Stage 2 of the Regular Season will earn direct qualification to MPL Malaysia Season 15. The 2nd-placed Challenger Conference team after Stage 2 will face off against the 9th-placed team in MPL Malaysia Season 14 in the "Challenger vs Defender" match – the winning team will receive a slot in MPL Malaysia Season 15.

Teams will compete for a ~MYR 86,960 (USD 20,000) prize pool.

Devin Chan, Esports Manager at MOONTON Games, said: "The inaugural season of MAL MY far exceeded our expectations and sparked a Renaissance in Malaysia's grassroots esports scene. But we do not rest on our laurels; we have taken valuable learnings from our inaugural season and improved all aspects of Season 2, from the league format, to production, to even marketing. We're committed to building up Malaysia's esports talent pipeline and are excited to bring our athletes and fans alike an even better exprience this second season."

Season 2 of MAL MY heralds the return of Hotlink as the Malaysia Presenter to fully optimise the league's network to deliver the best gaming experience for MLBB. The esports fraternity can look forward to leveraging Hotlink's 5G network to obtain unmatched network latency and improved gameplay experiences. The league also brings back strategic partner, Infinix. Infinix champions today's youth through the GT Series, which delivers innovative and affordable high-tech products that elevate mobile gaming with impressive features and futuristic designs that cultivate a pro gaming atmosphere.

For the latest updates on MAL MY, please like and follow the official social media channels on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. More information can be found on the official website.

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About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is the most popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game worldwide that brings communities together through teamwork and strategy. With over 1.465 billion installations and 110 million active monthly users, the award-winning game is among the top 10 most played in over 80 countries. With an extensive reach across the Asia Pacific region, the multiplayer is available in 139 countries with an expansive global esports presence.

About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports

Established in 2017, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Esports serves as a platform for players to pursue their dreams of becoming esports athletes and illuminate opportunities within the international esports ecosystem. MLBB Esports has since expanded to multiple leagues, including the MLBB Professional League (MPL) series hosted in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

About MOONTON Games

Established in 2014, MOONTON is a global video game company dedicated to gaming development, publication and esports. With more than 1,600 employees worldwide, the company operates offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Latin America, Hong Kong, and mainland China. It has successfully launched a number of high-profile mobile games globally and has built long-term relationships with governments and esports organizations in more than 30 countries around the world. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is its current star game and the leading mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game worldwide. For more information, visit https://en.moonton.com.

For media queries or interview requests, please contact:

Marcus Lim

Senior Regional PR Manager at MOONTON Games

Mobile: +65 9069 2651

Email: marcuslim@moonton.com

Appendix A: MAL MY Season 2 Factsheet

About the MAL MY

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Academy League Malaysia (MAL MY) is powered by MOONTON Games and IO ESPORTS, and supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) and Esports Integrated (ESI). It functions as the developmental leg of the Malaysian Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports league system – after MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia – and aims to build the esports talent pipeline in the nation by providing young and talented players with a structured and competitive entry into the world of professional esports.

MAL MY is MOONTON Games' latest initiative to elevate the esports talent pipeline in high-growth regions. It is the publisher's third development league and follows the respective launch of MLBB Development League (MDL) Philippines in 2023 and MDL Indonesia in 2020. Season 2 carries a ~MYR 86,960 (USD 20,000) prize pool.

Participating Teams: Challenger Conference

Participating Teams: Affiliated Conference

Appendix B: MAL MY Season 2 Regular Season Schedule

HD: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1g0afot-wR_NnYXPvb0ETFkw2870NNQIE