Mobile Legends: Bang Bang concluded a few days ago, and GamingonPhone participated in the event as a media partner. Besides the M7, we also went far enough to ask a few questions to the MSL Thailand stakeholders. During the interview, we asked streamer GuyNgid and Hao Zhen Siew, MLBB Thailand Head of Esports, MOONTON Games, about MSL Thailand and its prospects. The duo sounds optimistic, and this article will share their takes.
Despite being in the SEA region, Thailand remained far from the MLBB competitive mainstream for a long time. But the surprising fact is that the country hosted the first-ever MSC back in 2017. The journey that Thailand set out to take turned out to be an ever-expanding roof over the title’s head. The ecosystem is now full-scale, generating millions of viewers, along with a new engagement with each completed competition.
But the tides are finally turning in favor of Thailand after MOONTON Games announced a separate league for the country, the MSL 2026. Scheduled to kick off this February, it will compile the esports craze of the country’s youth in the same thread.
MOONTON partners with creators and organizations to steer the MSL Thailand
Ahead of the event to take place soon, MOONTON partnered with Viratsan “GuyNgid” Ariyawongpisal, one of the most popular and influential esports icons in the Thai market. He’s currently the CEO of the esports team Bacon Time, a newcomer to the Thai league that launched just a month ago, and is also serving as the MLBB Thailand Regional Strategy Partner at MOONTON Games.
In our brief talk with the youngstar during the M7 World Championship in Jakarta, we asked a few questions, intending to know the possibilities, future endeavours, and also the issues. While others were also keen to know the same, Viratsan answered the queries.
He seems confident while talking, with a hopeful and positive face about the future. “Thank you, guys, for the support, you are equally important for the Thai esports ecosystem“, he said. Besides, he shared the journey in esports, the growth from a player to a content creator. “I started as an athlete first. After a few months, I focused on content creation to set the pathway to establish esports in Thailand so that the next generation can follow in the footsteps.“
Hao Zhen Siew was super interactive and answered enthusiastically about the industry. We focused on the ecosystem gaps MSL Thailand is designed to address during the interview, and asked, “What specific ‘missing links’ in the Thai ecosystem did MOONTON identify that made the launch of MSL Thailand a necessity for 2026?” Because we know that Thailand was home to the first-ever MSC champions, yet the professional infrastructure seemed to stall compared to Indonesia or the Philippines.
“So, Thailand has never lacked talents or competitive sprit and MSC 2017 proved that with IDNS being the champion. So, what was missing was the structural link that allows the talents to sustain themselves there,” he said. Besides, to bridge the gap, they worked to identify the problems and found three key issues that needed immediate attention.
“Firstly, there were no consistent professional leagues that teams could plan around. Secondly, there were no clear long-term pathways for the players. And lastly, the strong connection with MLBB’s global ecosystem,” he mentioned.
“This is where MSL Thailand was introduced to address these gaps by providing continuity, professionalism, and direct integration into the global ecosystem,” he finishes. He also said that then was the time to initiate the process of integrating such a league.
The approach that focuses on long-term building
After his first answer, we knew that the MSL was going to work. When the matter is studied throughly and we also found the same in our research on the Thai MLBB community and esports, the results were the same.
With all the possibilities in front, there was no connecting thread to stitch the wound that the community was bearing after the first MSC in 2017. So we asked again about the structural support MOONTON is providing to ensure Thai teams can bridge the performance gap with the current dominant regions.
In response, he said, “Our approach focuses on long-term plans instead of short term fixtures. So this is what we really believe in: building a long-term esports ecosystem here.” This is apparently true as MSL Thailand will be a two-month-long event, aligned with global standards.
This will enable the teams to invest in coaching, analytics, and long-term player development. Closer integration with international competition gives Thai teams a consistent benchmark to measure progress and adapt to it. “We’re not just looking for individual resuls rather we’re going to build sustainability.“
Then we went deep, talking about the incorporation of local Thai culture. We asked, “From an esports perspective, what unique aspects of Thai gaming culture are you incorporating into the MSL’s branding and execution?”
He said that the culture is very community-driven and expressive, with a strong connection among the players, content creators, and the fans as well. “Incorporating these true things, like fan engagement and creator participation, that goes beyond the matches themselves and also connects the voices, the identity, and connection,” he answered.
Thailand is not a newcomer; it’s re-establishing its footprint
Apart from the competition in Thailand itself, it is evident that the challenge to present the country as a new global phenomenon will be difficult due to competing with strong competitors like ID and PH. While it is true that Thailand has the capacity to overcome these, it probably, it doesn’t keep us from worrying about what the planners in Thailand thought.
So, this puts into question whether Thailand is a newcomer or it’ll take a different move. “With MSL, the narrative becomes broader and with more competition. But I want to emphasize that Thailand is not a newcomer, rather re-establishing its presence in the SEA esports ecosystem.” He further narrates that the scenario will become more diverse and competitive, which will ultimately strengthen MLBB esports in the global banner.
The optimism with the Thai esports scene, centering the upcoming MSL, has positioned us in asking another follow-up question, “By the end of MSL’s inaugural year, what would ‘success’ look like for the Thai ecosystem? Is it a trophy, or is it a specific metric of community growth?”
“Success in the first year isn’t defined by a single trophy. We really believe in building foundations. We’ll look whether the teams are more stable, players see a clear career pathway, fan engagements are deeper, and also the stakeholders have more confidence in investing“, said Hao Zhen.
MLBB in Thailand looks to sustain for years. If MSL creates a momentum, achieves enough resources and engagement to sutain fo a long time, that will be true success, as Hao evaluated the scenario.
The Thai market was studied thoroughly and stamped after positive feedback
Not only did the people engage with Thai esports, but the overall view from MOONTON changed their perspective after running trials from mid-2024, as mentioned by their officials. We’re not talking about monetary stakeholders only, but rather everyone, irrespective of what interests they might have in esports.
A more top-down look from outside also proves the point that the market didn’t show audacity, but rather a clear and transparent path towards establishing new steps. The engagement from creators, brands, fans, and players made MOONTON think that it was time to bring the competition to the land of white elephants.
MOONTON is putting a lot of efforts to the new endeavour. All the work will start to pay off once the MSL hits the ground. The event itself isn’t debuting, but it’s already there, just being reintroduced. It will shape the local esports as well as prepare Thailand for upcoming international tournaments, especially the Esports Nations Cup ahead.
That concludes our look into the scene and also the officials’ scrutiny. We’ll see more competitive events in Thailand, and not to mention, the growth as well.
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