Team Liquid has big plans for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB)
22 May 2024
As in any other industry, the international esports industry sees its fair share of collaborations, mergers and take-overs. The US Esports Federation (USEF), for example, recently announced the creation of the International Esports Exchange, in collaboration with Ghost Gaming. These kinds of developments are crucial for the present and future of international esports, as the industry’s growth entered an accelerated phase a few years ago.
Where USEF and Ghost Gaming entered a collaborative agreement together, world-famous esports organization Team Liquid recently decided on a different approach to growth. The Netherlands-based organization wants to enter the rapidly growing world of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and to do so, they just announced the acquisition of Southeast Asian esports organization STUN.GG, including its teams AURA Esports and ECHO Esports.
Mobile Legends Professional League
At the moment, Team Liquid is not yet active in the Mobile Legends universe. As part of the purchase of STUN.GG, both of their MLBB teams will be renamed: AURA Esports will become Team Liquid ID (Indonesia) and ECHO Esports will become Team Liquid PH (Philippines). Both teams will be competing in the Mobile Legends Professional League, the game’s highest-ranked circuit. This also includes dedicated Indonesian and Philippine MLBB leagues.
The timing for Team Liquid’s purchase seems perfect, because Mobile Legends has been growing at a very fast rate over the past few years. Last year, for example, the game was equaling and sometimes even surpassing viewership numbers of traditionally more established MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) games such as Dota 2 and League of Legends. As a matter of fact, in 2023, five of the ten most-viewed esports events worldwide were Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournaments, and this excludes Chinese viewership numbers.
We have always admired the intensity and loyalty of fans in Indonesia and the Philippines, which we’ve experienced firsthand in esports events in the past”, says Victor Goossens, CEO at Team Liquid, “When we saw an opportunity to strengthen our presence in Southeast Asia with these incredible competitive teams, we knew we had to do it with an organization built with the same values and philosophy as our own. We found that partner in the staff and fans of AURA/ECHO.”
Reigning world champions joining the Liquid ranks
Team Liquid did not decide to acquire AURA and ECHO on a whim, because the purchase has brought some of the best Mobile Legends talent in the world onto their existing roster. ECHO, in particular, has been very successful recently, bringing home the M4 World Championship last year, as well as winning the eleventh season of the Mobile Legends Professional League Philippines.
AURA’s best recent performances stem from 2022, when the team grabbed third place in both Season 9 and Season 10 of the Indonesian Mobile Legends Professional League. On top of that, combined with AURA, the two new Team Liquid brands boast more than ten million followers on social media, which is very valuable nowadays as well.