The Mobile Legends category in the 31st SEA Games witnessed impressive viewership records, trumping other massive titles including LoL and CS:GO.
The month of May 2022 witnessed a number of huge esports championships happen all over the globe. Various esports disciples held big tournaments this mid-year and the 31st SEA Games Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tour made an impressive record.
According to Esports Charts, the 31st SEA Games MLBB's peak viewership is the highest of all esports tours in May, outranking big leagues such as League of Legends' MSI 2022 and CS:GO's PGL Major Antwerp 2022.
It is to be noted that Esports Charts does not count viewership from Chinese streaming services due to the unreliability of the data they provide.
Mobile Legends smashes viewership numbers at the 31st SEA Games
In May 2022, the 31st SEA Games, which is like a mini-Olympics for the region, took place in Vietnam. This large championship saw esports as a category among the traditional sports. It featured eight titles:
- FIFA Online 4
- League of Legends
- League of Legends: Wild Rift
- Free Fire
- PUBG Mobile
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- Arena of Valor
- CrossFire
The MLBB division for the 31st SEA Games garnered massive views, not only among the SEA Games categories but also among other global esports championships.
At the peak of the 31st SEA Games MLBB, fans saw a hype contest between the Philippines and Indonesia; arguably the two most passionate communities in SEA. Both countries met in the Grand Finals and the matchup accumulated 2.2 million Peak Viewers. This record sets the 31st SEA Games MLBB as the most popular tournament in May 2022, followed by LoL's MSI and CS:GO's PGL Major Antwerp.
Its mobile esports counterpart, PUBG Mobile also did well in the 31st SEA Games with 903K Peak Viewers, placing 5th.
The 31st SEA Games MLBB accumulated really solid viewership throughout the tournament and not just the Finals. Several matchups from the Playoffs and Group Stage also scored remarkable viewership with above 1 million Peak Viewers.
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Mobile Legends is the most popular esports for 4 months in a row
With Mobile Legends becoming the most popular tournament of the month, the title sets another record. Mobile Legends has now hosted the most popular tournament for 4 months in a row.
Mobile Legends Pro League (MPL) is extremely popular in SEA and it is apparent in the viewership numbers every month. Indonesian's league, MPL ID Season 9 scored the highest peak viewers for 3 months in a row from February to April. Its viewership surpasses notable championships such as IEM Katowice, LCK Spring, and VCT Masters Reykjavik.
Mobile game giant, MLBB is one of the most popular games in the world, holding an average of 80 million players per month. It is developed by the Chinese publisher Moonton in 2016, and the game rapidly grew in popularity - standing on par with household esports titles in only a couple of years.
Not only is the player base massive, but the esports scene is also equally, if not more robust. It is especially popular in the Southeast Asian region, thus the powerful viewership for SEA matches.
The dominance of mobile games and esports is taking the world by storm. Due to their accessibility and efficiency on a mobile platform, mobile games are spreading like wildfire all across the globe. It will be interesting to see how the future of esports takes shape with the presence of a giant mobile games industry.
To find more details regarding the viewership stats of esports tournaments in May 2022, you can visit Esports Charts.
Stay tuned to Esports.gg for the latest mobile esports news and updates.
