JAKARTA, 23 February – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Development League (MDL) Indonesia has entered its 9th season. MDL was initially a platform for teams to hone their skills and prove they could play in MPL Indonesia, and as time went on, MDL Indonesia succeeded in contributing to improving the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) and wider esports ecosystem in the country.
In the first season, MDL ID featured 12 teams, consisting of 8 MPL Indonesia affiliate teams and 4 semi-professional teams that had been selected through the previous Qualifier stage. In 2023, MDL emphasizes its commitment as a platform for aspiring talents from the grassroots to fulfil their competitive esports dreams, by implementing a play-in system and also holding the MLBB Indonesia Community Cup (MICC).
In the same year, MDL through the MOONTON Cares program "Fostering the Legend", was moved to provide scholarships and training for students of the Perbanas Institute and Seventeen August 1945 University in order to improve the quality of education in Indonesia and expand opportunities for the young generation who want to pursue a career in esports industry.
Until the end of 2023, there are more than 200 talents and players born and raised from MDL. Some of them have often been seen shining on the MPL Indonesia stage, such as ONIC Albert, ONIC Sanz, ONIC Kiboy, Alter Ego Pai, RRQ Skylar, Alter Ego Tazz, and many more. Not limited for teams and players, MDL is also an arena for esports activists behind the scenes, including casters, analysts, and hosts. Each of them contributes to growing the MLBB Esports ecosystem in Indonesia.
Right - Baim Wong, a top Indonesia artist and influencer visited the MDL Indonesia Season 8 Grand Final to support his team, Bosque. Even though it was their first time participating, his team became champions of MDL Indonesia Season 8.
Seeing such rapid development, MDL Indonesia is back in 2024 bringing new enhancement to make it more prosperous, and improving the quality of esports talent so that it can continue to bring a good name to Indonesian Esports.
What’s New in MDL Indonesia Season 9
Group Draft of MDL ID Season 9
In 2024, there will be at least three new things that will be executed to develop MDL into a much more competitive league, and have a positive impact towards Indonesian society.
First, there will be two grassroots teams as the winner of MICC, who will compete in MDL, namely Warmil Geng and also Xalvador Ozon. Additionally, the tournament format has been updated to become more competitive and is the first match format used in the history of MLBB Esports.
A total of 17 teams will compete in MDL ID Season 9, nine of which are MPL-affiliated teams, the top four independent teams in MDL Indonesia Season 8, two MICC winning teams, and two MDL Play-In winning teams.
Different from the previous season, this time the regular season is divided into two phases, group stage and Swiss round. This new format will bring a more interesting competitive intensity, where the competition for Playoffs slots will be seen earlier without waiting for the entire regular season to end.
Swiss Round Format for the MDL ID Season 9 Regular Season
Secondly, MDL took the initiative to open as many mentorship, internship, and scholarship programs as possible for universities not only in Jakarta, but also in many cities in Indonesia. In this program, there is an assessment and selection process at the end of the program to determine the best students who are entitled to scholarships and internship in MPL and MDL Indonesia esports teams and also companies that are partners of MLBB Esports Indonesia.
"This is the initial foundation for us to provide greater real support to more educational institutions and involve more students. It is clear how the esports industry has become an important part of the majority of young Indonesians. Inclusivity has always been our cornerstone to continue developing programs that support various groups and expertise to become part of the MLBB esports industry," said Azwin Nugraha, Public Relations and Communications Manager of MOONTON Games Indonesia.
Recently, MDL Indonesia announced a collaboration with WSL to give women's teams from the league the opportunity to compete in MDL Indonesia Season 10. This will be the first-time women's teams will compete in a MDL league, and takes us one step closer to achieving gender diversity and inclusion in the gaming community.
MDL Indonesia, which has been running for eight seasons, gives a strong signal and executes its commitment to maintaining the esports industry in Indonesia. This league functions as a platform to identify new stars and increase the regeneration of esports talent in Indonesia.
