Esports has a familiar story: it peaks.
Many expected Mobile Legends: Bang Bang to follow that same arc. But the ongoing M7 World Championship in Jakarta proved otherwise.
M7 challenged the conventional idea that esports has to plateau.
With record-breaking viewership, bold global partnerships, and strong regional roots, M7 showed that MLBB isn’t chasing a peak at all.
Rather, the latest of the M-series is reshaping what sustained success in esports can look like.
Beyond the tournament: Why M7 feels different
On paper, M7 already checked every box for success—another viewership record, top-tier international competition, world-class production, and more.
But what made M7 truly stand out wasn’t just those achievements. It was everything around around these world championships that make it a success.
Red Bull. VISA. The NBA. The rise of a European MLBB scene.
These weren’t just logos on a screen—they were signals.
Red Bull gives M7 wings
Trends have never piqued Red Bull's interest. It makes identity investments.
Red Bull took over the M7 Carnival, making the collaboration with fellow high-performing competitors who operate under pressure, discipline, and endurance.
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This is a significant parnetship because esports and its development are now about perception rather than mechanics.
MLBB as a title is changing by redefining what esports look like on the global scene: prepared, resilient, and culturally relevant.
VISA as the quiet signal that MLBB has grown
If Red Bull represents identity, VISA represents infrastructure.
VISA connects with reliable, scalable, and financially viable systems, it typically does not collaborate with experimental ecosystems.
Its presence as M7 World Championship partner is a sign that MLBB is becoming an operating economy rather than a niche game.
As leagues feed into a global structure, digital payments, international ticketing, and cross-border merchandise, the VISA collaboration proves that MLBB creates financial systems with sustainable growth rather than depending on hype cycles.
Learning from the NBA without becoming it
The NBA partnership may be the most revealing of all—not because of branding, but because of philosophy.
The NBA didn’t become a global league which relied solely on championships, even as rings are a huge part of its allure.
Instead, the NBA mastered keys to success: long-term storytelling, player-driven narratives, and regional loyalty paired with global spectacle.
[RELATED: Caster Brigida responds to viral fan remark during M7 Championship]
MLBB is taking a similar route, though it isn't exactly the same.
This MOONTON Games’ collaboration with the NBA at M7 signals the title’s shift from one-off tournaments to a long-term sports ecosystem.
Guided by the philosophy “Game Recognizes Game,” MLBB shows it isn’t chasing a mere peak, but evolving into something that is designed to endure.
Viewership records and MLBB’s elastic growth
Breaking viewership records is quite common in esports. Sustaining them while expanding into new markets is not.
At M7, MLBB did both.
In fact, just days after the M7 Wild Card became the most-watched Wild Card in M Series history, M7 Swiss Stage set another milestone as the most-watched M Series match even before the playoffs.
[RELATED: M7 World Championship sets new viewership record ahead of Knockout Stage]
Before the tournament even reached its pivotal point where the top eight teams battle for the USD 1 million prize pool and the title of world champion, numbers tell a deeper story.
This only shows that MLBB’s audience growth isn’t concentrated—it’s elastic.
Europe becoming MLBB’s next co-creator
The European expansion of MLBB is also intentional rather than experimental.
PGL MLBB Challengers, PGL's first MLBB tournament, was introduced by MOONTON Games in collaboration with PGL, creating a new competitive environment for MLBB.
PGL creates an important route for up-and-coming European talent, establishing Europe as an active partner of the developing MLBB rather than just a secondary market.
Why MLBB hasn’t peaked—and won’t
Most esports titles aim for a final form: become the biggest event, have the biggest prize pool, and have the biggest moment.
However, MLBB rejects the idea of finality.
Its growth is not about reaching a peak—it’s about remaining adaptable through partnerships that change the system and reshape identity.
MLBB will never reach a climax. Why? Because MLBB doesn’t grow upward—it grows outward.
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Gillian Trinidad began her career in the industry as a content producer before finding her voice as a feature writer.
She has covered a wide range of competitions—from esports titles like League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and VALORANT to traditional sports and entertainment, including the WWE, PBA, and Gilas Pilipinas.