The 16th World Esports Championship (WEC), held from November 11 to 19, once again proved Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) as one of the standout titles of IESF competitions. Both the Open and Women’s categories delivered exceptional competition; with live audiences and online viewership worldwide, this year’s tournaments stood as one of the most-watched MLBB tournaments of the year.

The MLBB Open tournament delivered one of the most exciting playoffs in WEC history. For the third consecutive year, a new champion was crowned, as Malaysia triumphed in dominant fashion. In a great run, Malaysia stunned the MLBB giants by defeating Indonesia, the 2022 champion, in the semifinals and then the Philippines, the 2023 champion, in a thrilling final.

• Gold: Malaysia

• Silver: Philippines

• Bronze: Indonesia

The tournament reached a peak viewership of 613k, making it one of the most-watched MLBB Open tournaments in WEC history.

A Historic Year for Women in Esports

The debut of the MLBB Women’s Tournament marked a new milestone for the World Esports Championship. Teams from across the world displayed extraordinary talent and competitiveness, with Indonesia, the pre-tournament favorite, securing the first-ever MLBB Women’s World Esports Championship title.

• Gold: Indonesia

• Silver: Cambodia

• Bronze: Egypt

The Women’s tournament reached a peak viewership of 258k, presenting the growing interest in women’s Esports. This debut exceeded all expectations and set the stage for more successful tournaments in the future, proving the Women’s category deserves its rightful place on the biggest stage.

Record-Breaking Prize Pool

This year’s tournaments also had the largest prize pool in MLBB history throughout WEC, totaling $280,000 across both categories:

• $160,000 for the MLBB Open Tournament

• $120,000 for the MLBB Women’s Tournament

The success of this year’s MLBB tournaments is a result of the strong partnership between IESF and MOONTON Games. Together, we have elevated MLBB into one of the most iconic and recognizable elements of the World Esports Championship.

“We are proud to have delivered such an impactful and pleasant MLBB experience for our fans and athletes. The incredible performances and viewership this year reaffirm our goal to growing MLBB’s presence on the international Esports stage,” said Igor Nedeski, IESF’s Esports Manager.

Ray Ng, Head of Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, said: “Congratulations to the whole IESF team for another great event that achieves a new milestone together with MLBB. We share the same beliefs of excellence and inclusion and are excited to build on this momentum to create even more unforgettable moments for MLBB fans around the world.”

Keeping in tandem with its vision to contribute to the growth of PC Gaming in India, CyberPowerPC India, a global leader in custom gaming computers who debuted in the Indian market earlier this year, has announced a unique giveaway at GamingCon 2024, one of India’s biggest gaming festivals. Two lucky attendees will have the chance to take home CyberPowerPC’s premium customised gaming rigs, the Xtreme 500 and Xtreme Arctic 500, each valued at over INR 1 lakh and designed to deliver a best-in-class gaming experience.

Taking place at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, from November 30 to December 1, 2024, GamingCon 2024 will be featuring gaming influencers, streamers, esports tournaments, cosplay competitions, a board games arena, F1 simulators, and much more.

After redeeming their event ticket for a band, attendees will receive a lucky draw coupon with instructions. First, they need to visit the CyberPowerPC booth and spin the wheel to perform an assigned task. Next, attendees must participate in other exciting activities and games. Upon completion, they will receive stamps on their coupon.

Finally, they have to enter their details on the coupon and drop it in the lucky draw box at the CyberPowerPC booth. Participants also stand a chance to win exclusive CyberPowerPC merchandise at their booth.

Winners will be announced the same day at the CyberPowerPC booth and must claim their PC within 10 seconds, or another draw will occur. The PCs will be handed over on Day 2, at the close of event hours.

Commenting on the giveaway, Vishal Parekh, Chief Operating Officer, CyberPowerPC India said, “We are excited to join GamingCon 2024 and host this amazing giveaway. At CyberPowerPC, we take pride in delivering high-performance, customised gaming PCs that offer an immersive experience, and both of the PCs featured in this contest are prime examples of that. Through initiatives like this, we aim to not only inspire and empower gamers, ensuring they have access to cutting-edge technology, but also contribute to the growth of India’s burgeoning PC gaming community. We want gamers, whether on mobile, console, or PC, to feel the power of a custom gaming rig and understand how superior hardware can transform their overall gaming experience. CyberPowerPC India invites all attendees to participate, experience the excitement firsthand, and join us in making this an unforgettable experience.”

Apart from the giveaway, attendees can explore CyberPowerPC’s innovative website at their booth and see how easy it is to customise a PC through the Configurator. Additionally, they can experience their revolutionary EZPC module, which allows gamers to quickly customise their dream PC or select the right one in just 30 seconds based on the games they play, with options for over 25 popular titles, including Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Elden Ring, and Fortnite.

The recently released ‘Indian Gamer Behaviour and Market Insights’ report by Niko Partners shows that 77.3% of PC gamers in India spent more on games in Q1 2024 than the previous year, outpacing mobile and console gaming. Additionally, Steam reported a 150% increase in new users in India from 2019 to 2024, highlighting the growing interest in PC gaming.

The increase in spending and new users highlights gamers’ growing desire to enhance their gaming experience. By giving attendees the opportunity to not just try customized gaming PCs at their GamingCon 2024 booth but also win free ones, CyberPowerPC is dedicated to supporting the growth of India’s PC gaming community.

The recently concluded Minecraft battle, Creators Rumble, an initiative by OP Gaming, marked an electrifying debut as Team Diamond emerged as winners, showcasing exceptional skill and teamwork to secure the top spot with an impressive score of 102 points. The winning team, which included GamerFleet, Ro9nie, DevXD, and EpicDipic, outshone fierce contenders Team Gold, featuring Mr. Lapis, Siddharth, CassalFx, and Pahadi Gamer, who finished in second place with a commendable 92 points.

The tournament was a massive success, drawing over 7,400 live-viewers during the stream and reaching a massive audience of 4 million and counting. This groundbreaking event was lauded by the Indian Minecraft community as a pivotal moment in competitive gaming.

GamerFleet, part of the victorious Team Diamond, shared his excitement saying, “Competing alongside some of the country’s best gamers was exciting and a much-needed boost for the Indian Minecraft gaming community. I hope we continue to have similar tournaments in the future, as they not only bring excitement but also contribute to uplift the gaming community in India as  a whole.”

The tournament also featured appearances by gaming legend BeastBoyShub, who encouraged participants and fueled their competitive spirit. 

The tournament saw 24 Minecraft gamers, divided into six teams of four, engage in intense battles that tested their strategic prowess and creativity which made the tournament a huge success and connected deeply with the minecraft community. Fans hailed the tournament as a turning point for the Indian Minecraft community.

The inaugural Creators Rumble featured popular Indian Minecraft gamers, including  Mythpat (Mithilesh Patankar), Gamerfleet (Anshu Bisht), Piyush Joshi Gaming (Piyush Joshi), AndreoBee (Naveen Yadav), MC Addon (Dipanshu Prajapati), PSD1 (Prathamesh), EpicDipic (Deepak Kumar), ShadowShooter (Pankaj Kumar Sahoo), I.M.Kopi (Bibek Jung Kunwar), Proboiz (Paresh Solanki), Mr Lapis (Jitender Kumar), GameBeat (Nitin Tyagi), Risible Twins (Kartik and Kunal), Yug Playz (Yug Thakkar), Agnit Plays (Vinit Aggarwal), GamerJatin (Jatin Makhija), Spunky Insaan (Harshit Nema), Pahadi Gaming (Lokesh Karakoti), DevXD (Pankaj Dev), Ro9nie (Rohan Chhabra), Sidh4rth (Siddharth), CassalFx (Shrey Patel) and Dattrax Gaming (Harvest Dewangan).

With the success of the Creators Rumble inaugural edition, OP Gaming, a subsidiary of OprahFx, plans to build on this momentum, fostering opportunities for Indian creators to compete on platforms and inspiring the next generation of gamers.