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MOONTON Games took home top honours at the GamingonPhone Awards 2025, emerging as the biggest winner of the night with four major accolades. MOONTON Games was named Mobile Game Developer of the Year, while its flagship title, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), earned the prestigious Mobile Esports Game of the Year award. Adding to the night’s triumphs, MLBB world champions, Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH), was crowned Mobile Esports Team of the Year. Meanwhile, one of MLBB’s most-decorated athletes, Karl “KarlTzy” Gabriel Dacer Nepomuceno, clinched Mobile Esports Player of the Year.
Held at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, the annual awards ceremony recognises excellence across mobile gaming and the creators that shape its future. The victories reaffirm MOONTON Games’ commitment to advancing the industry through gameplay innovation and its leadership in global esports.
MOONTON Games clinched the Mobile Game Developer of the Year award. Its flagship title, MLBB, recently celebrated its ninth anniversary with the “9th to Meet You” in-game campaign. Featuring a new game mode and a stylish girl group theme, the campaign showcases MOONTON Games’ commitment to evolving gameplay experiences and engaging its global community. MLBB continues to unite players across 190 countries, boasting over 1.5 billion registered users and 110 million monthly active players.
Alongside MLBB, MOONTON Games has expanded its portfolio with standout titles such as Magic Chess: Go Go (MCGG), Silver and Blood, and Acecraft. MCGG surpassed 30 million downloads just two weeks after its Global Launch, while Silver and Blood topped the Apple App Store charts in South Korea, Macau, and Thailand. Acecraft also enjoyed a strong global debut, reaching nearly 10 million downloads and topping of the iOS Free App charts in 34 countries. Each game reinforces MOONTON Games’ vision of shaping the future of mobile gaming through continuous innovation and player-first experiences.
MLBB also won Mobile Esports Game of the Year, marking the fourth time it has claimed the top honour. According to Esports Charts, MLBB was 2024’s most-watched mobile esports title with over 475 million Hours Watched (HW)—a testament to its global following.
The game’s momentum carried into the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC), the world’s largest multi-title esports event. The MLBB Mid Season Cup became the most-watched tournament in the event’s history, surpassing 3 million Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV). The MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) was the largest women’s tournament at EWC 25, highlighting MOONTON Games’ leadership in driving inclusivity and representation in competitive esports. The title will feature as a medalled event at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December 2025 and 2026 Asian Games. The inclusions stand as a testament to how MLBB Esports empowers athletes to represent their nations on the international stage.
“Our wins are a recognition of the passion that everyone at MOONTON Games has for gaming and esports. Guided by our values of ‘Player-First Experience’ and ‘Rise Above Limits,’ we’ll continue to innovate, inspire our players, and push the mobile gaming industry forward. We’re eager for players and the community to experience what’s next! From our upcoming campaigns, partnerships, to the highly anticipated M7 World Championship (M7). These moments motivate us to keep improving and delivering experiences that matter to players and the industry.” said Marcus Lim, Head of Overseas Public Relations at MOONTON Games
Reigning MLBB world champions, TLPH, were named Mobile Esports Team of the Year. Following their MSC at EWC 25 triumph, the team became the first in history to complete the MLBB Esports trophy cabinet. This historic milestone highlights their consistency, teamwork, and competitive excellence. TLPH will now aim to etch their names into MLBB history again by completing the Golden Road (winning all major MLBB Esports titles in a single year)—a feat no team has accomplished to date.
With the MLBB Professional League (MPL) Philippines Season 15 and MSC at EWC 25 titles under their belt, the team will have their sights set on MPL Philippines Season 16 and the M7 to complete the historic sweep. TLPH’s powerhouse lineup consists of Alston “Sanji” Pabico, Jay Pee “Jaypee” Gonzales Dela Cruz, John “Perkziva” Haven Garcia Sumawan, Kiel “Oheb” Calvin Que Soriano, Karl “KarlTzy” Gabriel Dacer Nepomuceno, and Sanford “Sanford” Marin Vinuya.
“On behalf of the team, I’d like to thank the GamingonPhone Awards for naming us the Mobile Esports Team of the Year. We are deeply honored to receive this award. It’s been an incredible year for us. From becoming the MPL Season 15 Champions to winning the MSC trophy, none of this would’ve been possible without everyone behind us. We would like to share this award with our coaches, staff, our families and with Chris, Dan, Victor and Steve of Team Liquid Global. We share this achievement with the Cavalry who have consistently supported us through win or loss. Your support means everything to us. Here’s to more wins, more trophies, and more memories together.” said Mitch Liwanag, Country Manager of Team Liquid Philippines
Meanwhile, TLPH’s KarlTzy took home Mobile Esports Player of the Year—the only individual-award of the night. Honoured for his “individual brilliance”, his team’s most recent win secured his Career Grand Slam. KarlTzy’s career features international victories in both the M Series and MSC alongside four MPL Philippines championships. His achievements reflect the continued pusuit of mastery that defines MLBB Esports and have solidified him as the “Face of MLBB Esports”.
KarlTzy, said: “Thank you so much to the GamingonPhone Awards for naming me Mobile Esports Player of the Year! This is such a huge honor for me, and I’m truly grateful to everyone who has supported my journey—from my teammates, coaches, and organisation, to all the fans who are always there through every win and loss. Thank you so much, everyone! I’ll keep doing my best to make you all even prouder in the future!”
The M7 will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, in January 2026. This seventh edition of MLBB’s flagship international tournament returns to the city that last hosted the M4 World Championship in 2022. As the heart of MLBB Esports, Indonesia is home to the game’s most passionate community. The M7 is set to be the largest M Series yet, uniting the world’s top athletes on the home ground of MLBB Esports.