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.
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.
Please see below for the MAL MY Stage 1 schedule:
