The 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) saw the Male and Female categories of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports competitions come to a close, with the Philippines and Indonesia clinching gold medals in each respective category. The competition was held at the NABA Theater in Nagaworld 2, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from May 10 to 14, 2023.
Philippines Sweeps Malaysia in Male Category
The Philippines secured its third gold medal at the SEA Games tournament, this time in the Male Category of MLBB. The team, composed of Angelo Kyle D. Arcangel, Michael Angelo E. Sayson, Marco Stephen B. Requitiano, David Charles L. Canon, Rowgien Stimpson N. Unigo, and Nowee C. Macasa, won via sweep, defeating Malaysia in a best-of-five (Bo5) series with a score of 3-0. The team is led by coaches Francis “Ducky” Glindro and Vrendon Lin.
Malaysia settled for a silver finish, while teams Myanmar and Cambodia received bronze medals for landing in the third and fourth spots.
Philippines’ Arcangel Makes History
The Philippines now has three gold medals from the SEA Games tournament. The team captain, Angelo Kyle D. Arcangel, also made history by becoming the first-ever two-time Southeast Asian gold medalist in MLBB.
Indonesia Wins Female Category with Record Viewership
Indonesia emerged victorious in the female category, defeating the Philippines in a best-of-five (Bo5) series with a score of 3-2. The team was represented by Vivi Indrawaty, Viorelle Valencia Chen, Cindy Laurent Siswanto, Isnaini Nurfajrih Machdita, Venny Lim, and Michelle Denise Siswanto, and led by coach Tasia Eda Lestari. Teams Malaysia and Vietnam received bronze medals for landing in the third and fourth spots.
Record-Breaking Viewership
The peak concurrent viewership for the female tournament reached a new high of 1,367,274, making it the most-watched female esports tournament ever, according to Esports Charts.
Historic Standalone Women’s Tournament
This is the first time that the Southeast Asian multi-sport event featured a standalone MLBB tournament for women. A total of six (6) teams participated, including Laos and the host country Cambodia. Fans of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports can still expect exciting battles in June, as the upcoming MSC 2023 will also be hosted in Cambodia for the first time. The international event will feature global teams from North America, Turkey, and the Middle East.
Player List
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Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
