MANILA - Moonton Games are set on tying up with the Department of Tourism as the Philippines hosts the 5th Mobile Legends: Bang Bang World Championships later this year.

In a Facebook post, the Department of Tourism said Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco met with Moonton Games' representatives last June 7.

• esports: Philippines to host 5th ML world championships in December

"The global event is expected to draw more than 10,000 spectators and participants from around the world, and is expected to entice Moonton's more than 30 million users in the Philippines," the DOT said in a statement.

They also discussed options to introduce Filipino culture in in-game features such as skins. Filipino hero Lapu-Lapu has been made into a character and a skin of Manny Pacquiao for Pacquito was introduced in 2021.

The M4 World Championships was held in the Indoor Stadium Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia, where the announcement of Philippines' hosting was also made.

The Philippines has been the champions of ML globally for the last three years, with Bren Esports (M2), Blacklist International (M3) and ECHO (M4) clinching the titles.

Government tie-ups for Moonton's tournaments are nothing new, as ML's developers have tied up with Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia's respective government bodies in organizing official tournaments overseas.