Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, commonly known as ML or MLBB, is a mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed and published by Moonton, a ByteDance subsidiary. Mobile Legends was initially released in Brazil on 22 July 2016.

Since its release in 2016, the game has grown in popularity worldwide, most notably in Southeast Asia,[1] and has since surpassed the 1 billion downloads milestone, with peak monthly players of 100 million. In 2021, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang achieved an all-time gross of US$1 billion, with 44 percent of its revenue coming from outside Asia, making it the top mobile game of its genre with the most global appeal.[2][3]The game sets two teams of five against each other in real-time, with at least 10-second matchmaking and 10-minute matches. Players must fight over three lanes to take the enemy's tower and protect their own in a traditional battle arena game. Unlike traditional MOBAs, there is no hero leveling or pay to play aspect—winners and losers are determined by skill, ability, and strategy.[4]

Following success, Moonton has tapped into the esports scene with the creation of several regional tournaments dubbed as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa regions that serve as qualifiers for the Mobile Legends World Championships, where a total of 15 countries, including Japan, Russia, Turkey, and the United States, have participated so far.[5] It was also among the 6 games chosen for the first medal event of esports competition at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in the Philippines.[6]

Originally titled Mobile Legends: 5v5 MOBA,[7] the game's first release in 2016 was received with criticism due to similarities with another MOBA game, League of Legends. Riot Games sued Moonton for copyright infringement in July 2017. However, the action was dismissed by the Central District Court of California in the United States due to forum non conveniens.[8] Moonton has since done multiple remodeling and patch updates for differentiation and game enhancements.