KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 28 October – Johor Bahru will crown Malaysia's Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) champion this Sunday (3 November)! Jointly organised by MOONTON Games and KPRJ Sports Sdn Bhd (KSSB), a subsidiary of Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor Sdn Bhd (KPRJ), with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), Esports Integrated (ESI), and the Malaysia Electronic Sports Federation (MESF), MLBB Professional League (MPL) Malaysia will venture outside the Klang Valley area for the first time in its six-year history for the Season 14 Playoffs.

The final stage of Malaysia's premier MLBB league will be held from 31 October to 3 November at the Educity Sports Complex Indoor Arena in Iskandar Puteri, where the nation's top six teams will compete for the title and lion's share of the USD 100,000 purse. This season's Playoffs will be the biggest-ever in league history.

National Glory Beckons! 

This season's Playoffs will hold special national significance as it will confer two local teams – the Season 14 Grand Finalists – the privilege of representing Malaysia at the M6 World Championship (M6) in front of home fans. Malaysia is hosting the sixth edition of the M Series, MLBB's flagship international esports tournament and one of the world's most popular esports events, which will see 23 teams from more than 16 regions compete for a USD 1 million prize pool from 21 November to 15 December, 2024 (full M6 schedule). 

The Season 14 Playoffs follows Malaysia's MYR 20 million Madani Budget 2025 allocation to enhance the esports ecosystem. Accordingly, the Season 14 Grand Finals on 3 November will be graced by Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development of Malaysia, YAB Dato' Seri Dr. Zahid bin Hamidi, and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Adam Adli bin Abd Halim. 

Fikri Rizal Mahruddin, Marketing and Business Development Lead at MOONTON Games, said: "Malaysia has entered a new era of esports and our ecosystem has more momentum than ever before. In January, we launched our MLBB development league, MAL MY (MLBB Academy League Malaysia), to give promising esports players a more structured entry into professional esports. In July, Selangor Red Giants brought home our first major international MLBB championship at the Mid Season Cup 2024 in Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, the government announced the MYR 20 million Madani Budget 2025 allocation to esports. The Season 14 Playoffs will be the next major step forward for the national esports scene." 

KPRJ, through KSSB, announced its third consecutive year organising an esports event, aimed at significantly enhancing the local esports scene by co-hosting the MPL Season 14 Playoffs in Johor. 

"The MPL Season 14 Playoffs not only serve to promote Johor as a premier tourism destination but also reinforce its status as a leading hub for esports recognising its immense value to the esports industry while simultaneously positioning Johor as a dynamic powerhouse for economic growth and tourism," said Yang Berhormat Dato' Lukman bin Abu Bakar, Chief Executive Officer of KPRJ. 

Dato' Lukman further emphasised KPRJ's unwavering commitment to nurturing the development of sports in the region, asserting, "We are dedicated to creating new business opportunities and expanding the esports landscape through initiatives like this event." 

Southern Festival: A Buffet Of Family-Friendly Activities Awaits! 

The Season 14 Playoffs will be the league's biggest-ever to date. In addition to being a showcase of Malaysia's best esports talent, the Southern Festival component will feature a host of family-friendly activities, available to fans completely free. 

The league has teamed up with Foodelicious to host a food festival, featuring more than 100 stalls at the Educity Sports Complex Football Field. There will also be performances by local DJs, buskers, and indie artists, as well as a slew of family-friendly activities such as live cooking demos, arts workshops, cooking competitions, flower arrangement classes, and an open mic. 

Fikri said: "We believe that esports is for everyone. This is why we have supersized the festival component so that everyone can enjoy themselves and also made the entire Playoffs x Southern Festival completely free. This event is our labour of love to our fans."

MPL Malaysia's New Anthem, "Jaguh", Launches 

The league also yesterday (28 October) launched "Jaguh" (meaning "Champion"), a new MPL Malaysia anthem starring renowned local musicians, XONE (prounounced as So-En-Ee) and Amir Masdi, as well as notable MLBB Esports Malaysia personalities like MPL Malaysia casters and ultras. Presented by Hotlink, the anthem is available on all major streaming channels, including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music. 

Listen to Jaguh here: https://bfan.link/jaguh

"Jaguh" will be performed live for the first time by XONE and Amir Masdi before the Grand Finals on 3 November.

Season 14 Playoffs Format, Bracket, & Schedule 

The Season 14 Playoffs will follow a hybrid elimination format. The 3rd to 6th-placed teams from the Regular Season will face off first in the Play-Ins, which will follow a single-elimination format and be played in Best-Of-Five (BO5) matches. The winners will advance to the Upper Bracket Semi Final, where they will meet the 1st and 2nd-placed teams from the Regular Season, Selangor Red Giants and Team Vamos respectively. From this point onwards, all matches will be double-elimination and BO5, with the Grand Finals to be played in a BO7. 

TODAK will open the Playoffs against Monster Vicious at 4:00 PM GMT+8 on 31 October. TODAK are three-time MPL Malaysia champions but have in recent seasons been ridiculed as being past their primes. All eyes will be on veteran Gold Laner Muhammad "CikuGais" Fuad, who has made the joint-most number of appearances for Malaysia at the M Series – four, from M1 to M4. In contrast, all-Malaysian Monster Vicious will be looking to do the double over their rivals, having already defeated them 2-1 in Week 1 of the Regular Season. Consistency will be key, with the having beaten all six of their rivals in the Regular Season except for JP NINERS but falling to the bottom three teams, RSG MY, Team HAQ, and Homebois. The winner will face the defending champions, Selangor Red Giants, on 1 November at 4:00 PM GMT+8. 

RED Esports will then take on JP NINERS at 8:00 PM GMT+8 in a clash between two opposing playstyles. RED Esports are the embodiment of order, prioritising disciplined macro play and strong fundamentals. In contrast, the hot-blooded JP NINERS are known to overextend, which frequently puts them in hot soup. It will be a closely fought showdown, with restraint likely to be the differentiator between the two. The winning team's reward will be to face Team Vamos the following day at 8:00 PM GMT+8. 

Please see the table below for the Playoffs bracket and schedule: