Next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand is going to be a doozy, especially in the esports side of things, though it’s as expected.

The 33rd SEA Games in Thailand has unveiled the first game in its esports event lineup, and it’s none other than Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). Being as Mobile Legends is really big in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia and The Philippines, it’s no surprise that it’s a top pick for one of Asia’s biggest medal events slated for next year. This makes it the fourth time MLBB is a medalled sport at a multi-sporting event.

Here are some juicy stats about the game on a competitive level: MLBB is the most-watched esports event in SEA Games history for both the men’s and women’s categories; at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, the men’s category had 1,462,871 Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV) and the women’s category had 1,367,274 PCV.

In related news, developer/publisher Moonton Games is teaming up with the Thailand E-Sports Federation to “unlock economic and tourism opportunities for the Kingdom. Both organisations will explore collaboration opportunities through marketing and promotional support, player development initiatives, community engagement activities, and the sharing of insights and analytics”. 

“Thailand is one of Southeast Asia’s most mature markets for games and competitive esports,” said TESF president Santi Lothong, “but there is still massive opportunity to grow the community further. The cooperation of game companies is a crucial part of this ambition. We are thankful for the support of MOONTON Games in helping us achieve this shared goal of creating platforms for aspiring talents to pursue their dreams of representing their countries on the international stage”.

No other esports games have been announced as of yet, but we’ll be sure to post about it when they’re up. The 33rd SEA Games will take place from 9th to 20th December 2025 at Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi, and Songkhla. The Games will feature the following SEA countries as participants: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor, and Vietnam.