Mobile Esports Reached New Heights in 2024
The mobile esports landscape experienced remarkable growth throughout 2024, with several titles achieving unprecedented viewership milestones and expanding their global presence. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) emerged as the dominant force, establishing itself as the primary challenger to League of Legends in the competitive gaming sphere.
Leading Titles and Major Developments
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang continued its impressive trajectory, with its Indonesian professional league (MPL Indonesia) leading the charge. The game’s global championship series, known as the M-series, further cemented MLBB’s position at the forefront of mobile esports.
Arena of Valor (AoV) also experienced significant growth, marked by highly successful tournaments throughout the year. The worldwide release of Honor of Kings, AoV’s Chinese counterpart, contributed to the ecosystem’s expansion, particularly in Asian markets where it has become a dominant presence.
A major catalyst for mobile esports’ growth was the introduction of the Esports World Cup, which brought unprecedented attention to the mobile gaming segment. This development, combined with increased participation from Western organizations in Asian competitions, set a promising foundation for continued growth in 2025.
Record-Breaking Viewership
Top Mobile Esports Events by Watch Time
- MPL Indonesia Season 14 set new benchmarks, including placement among the top 10 most-watched esports tournaments. Its final match drew nearly 4 million concurrent viewers, establishing new records across multiple languages and platforms.
- MPL Indonesia Season 13 achieved over 100 million Hours Watched (HW), marking a significant milestone in the MLBB Professional League series.
- The M6 World Championship accumulated 85.6 million HW, boosted by RRQ Hoshi’s participation, making it the most-watched MLBB world championship to date.
- The inaugural EWC X MLBB Mid Season Cup 2024, held in Saudi Arabia, marked the first MLBB major tournament outside Southeast Asia, featuring an unprecedented $3 million prize pool.
- The PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2024 garnered over 28.6 million HW, featuring the largest esports prize pool ever awarded in the UK ($3 million). Dplus KIA made history by becoming the first multiple-time world champions.
Peak Viewership Achievements
The M6 World Championship led in peak viewership with 4.13 million concurrent viewers, followed closely by MPL Indonesia Season 14, which reached 3.99 million viewers during its Grand Final between RRQ Hoshi and Team Liquid Aura. This match set new records for Indonesian-language viewership and TikTok esports broadcasting.
Regional Success Stories
The MPL Philippines maintained its position as one of the world’s premier mobile gaming circuits, with Season 14 reaching 1.62 million concurrent viewers during its Grand Finals. The league set new records for Tagalog viewership on TikTok.
Brawl Stars achieved significant success with its World Finals 2024, reaching 1.10 million peak viewers, while the Snapdragon Pro Series demonstrated the growing appeal of mobile esports qualifiers by attracting viewership comparable to major tournaments.
Looking Forward
The integration of Western organizations into the Asian mobile esports scene, combined with record-breaking viewership and prize pools, suggests continued growth for the sector in 2025. The success of the Esports World Cup and the global expansion of popular titles indicate that mobile esports is positioned for further development and increased international recognition.
