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| ONIC Philippines celebrating their MLBB M6 World Championship triumph and capturing the M6 crown prior to the end of its collaboration with Fnatic (Image Source: ABS-CBN News/Facebook/MLBB eSports) |
ONIC Philippines has extended the Philippines' dominance in the M Series after emerging victorious in the grand finals of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M6 World Championship held last December 14, 2024 at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, defeating Team Liquid Indonesia (TLID), 4-1, in a best-of-seven (BO7) series. This marks the Philippines' fifth consecutive M Series title since the M2 World Championship in 2021 and earned the team an unbeaten M6 run as well as the lion's share of the US$1M (one million dollars) prize pool. Selangor Red Giants placed third after losing to TLID in the Lower Bracket Finals on 14 December. Their defeat put an end to their Golden Road ambitions – where a team wins all of the major MLBB titles in a year.
ONIC PH comprises of Gold Laner Duane "Kelra" Pillas who was awarded the Grand Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP), Jann Kirk “Kirk” Solcruz Gutierrez (EXP Laner), King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez (Jungler), Frince Miguel “Super Frince” Ramirez (Mid Laner), Borris James “Brusko” Parro (Roamer), and Brian Milez “SpiderMilez” Santos (Roamer) with Anthony Dennis “Ynot” Senedrin leading the team as the Head Coach and Jeniel “YellyHaze” Bata-Anon serving as Assistant Coach. The M Series is the pinnacle of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) eSports. Its sixth edition, the M6, featured an expanded prize pool and introduced the Swiss Format to elevate the competitive level among the world's best eSports teams. ONIC PH's historic victory was witnessed by more than 7,000 spectators inside the venue. Additionally, the event recorded 4.129 million peak concurrent views (PCV) to become the third most-popular M Series edition in history while garnering a 66% increase in average viewers (AV) with 709,919 according to analytics partner eSports Charts. eSports Charts co-founder and CEO Artyom Odintsov said, “M6 has once again confirmed the growing appeal of MLBB eSports, bringing an ever-expanding audience to its flagship tournament. While not a record-breaking event, M6 delivered outstanding results with notable growth compared to M5 including a 66% increase in average viewership during the Group Stage. TikTok played a pivotal role, contributing over 31% of total hours watched while the expanded co-streaming program drove deeper community involvement, raising the share of community casting from 18% last year to 24% in terms of viewership."
M Series Returns To The Home Of The Biggest MLBB Fans
The M Series will return to Jakarta, Indonesia, for the M7 World Championship, two years after it was last held there (during M4). M7 will take place in January 2026 as previously announced during the M6 Summit, MOONTON Games' annual industry conference held alongside each M Series. Indonesian eSports Federation (PB ESI) Executive Chairman, Police Commissioner General (Ret.) Bambang Sunarwibowom, said, "We are optimistic that the presence of M7 will provide wider global exposure, introduce the potential of Indonesian talents to the international community, and strengthen Indonesia's image as the center of Asian eSports. No less important, we hope this event can inspire the younger generation to see eSports as a future industry that has great opportunities, both as professional athletes, creators, and other supporting professions in the eSports ecosystem." M7 will commence after the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which is slated for December 2025. MLBB was recently announced as the Games' first eSports title and is the only eSports medal event with male and female divisions.
New Year, New Logo, New MLBB Region!
On the same day, MOONTON Games unveiled a new logo for MLBB – to symbolize a new chapter of gaming for its fans. The new design incorporates flame-like details on the edges of the logotype, taking inspiration from gamers' burning passion and competitive spirit. MLBB recently reached a staggering 1.5 billion registrations worldwide. Meanwhile, MLBB will be officially launched in China in January 2025. The move anticipates more Chinese players and teams competing in professional and global tournaments next year and becoming a formidable region in MLBB eSports.
MLBB Returns To The eSports World Cup
The MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2025 and MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI) 2025 were revealed as part of MLBB's 2025 Roadmap and will be part of the eSports World Cup (EWC). Both events will be sandwiched between each of the MLBB Professional League (MPL) half-yearly eSports circuits; the first half of MPLs will run from early March to late June, while the second half will take place from late August to early November. “We are excited to welcome Mobile Legends: Bang Bang back to the eSports World Cup. This past summer, MLBB captivated fans worldwide with two standout events – the MLBB Mid-Season Cup and the MLBB Women’s Invitational – that showcased the drama and excitement that eSports continually delivers. MLBB’s return marks another significant milestone in our long-standing partnership with MOONTON, further reinforcing our joint commitment to bringing the world’s most popular mobile game to international fans. We look forward to welcoming its global community back to Riyadh and delivering even greater experiences for its players and fans on eSports’ biggest stage,” said eSports World Cup Foundation Chief Games Officer Fabian Scheuermann.
ONIC PH Parts Ways With Fnatic
Almost a month after its triumphantly dominant M6 World Championship journey, ONIC has officially announced on its social media accounts that it has officially ended its collaboration with the London-based professional gaming organization Fnatic, marking the return of ONIC Philippines and ONIC Indonesia as independent squads ahead of the upcoming 15th season of MLBB Professional League (MPL) in both the Philippines and Indonesia. This decision is in line with the updated eligibility rules of the eSports World Cup where it is stated that joint ventures will no longer accumulate points for the bigger club if they make it to an EWC event. Both ONIC PH and ONIC Indonesia thanked Fnatic for the opportunity to build an alliance between the two organizations. In a statement, ONIC PH said, "It’s been an honor to collaborate with one of the top eSports organizations in the world and we would like to thank you for the opportunity to be a part of the Fnatic family." In a separate statement, ONIC Indonesia added, "From epic plays to countless memories, it’s been an honor sharing this path with you. This isn’t goodbye — just see you later. Fnatic, you’ll always have a place in our story."
