MANILA (UPDATE) - Bren Esports will now change its name to AP Bren, the team announced Monday, as it welcomes new ownership for the team.

Bren, which has a world championship in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and three MPL titles on their belt, will usher in a new beginning for the team.

"We've been recently going through a lot of challenges, and changes in our company but thankfully we're still moving forward, thanks to all the support," AP Bren Director Jab Escutin said in a press conference.

Aces Pro Corp, a household name in the grassroots esports scene in the Philippines, will now manage the organization, with AJ Ponce on board as its chief executive officer (CEO).

AP Esports was the home to players who have stepped into the professional ML:BB scene such as Sanji, URESHIII, Donut, Sanji, MP The King, and Cadenza.

"The rebrand enables the team to move forward from the organizational challenges of 2023 and perform significantly better through the infusion of more resources for recruitment and player development," Ponce said.

"It's no secret that we've been running into a couple of issues with our current management," Escutin said without elaborating on the issue.

Bren Esports' founder and former owner, Bernard Chong was tagged by a Manila court as the owner a cargo services corporation involved in the importation of P1.8 billion worth of drugs in 2019 at the Manila International Container Port.

However, the Court of Appeals cleared Chong, after he filed a Petition for Certiorari and presented documents proving he was not connected with the company long before the drugs were caught.

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"So with the limited resources we have been getting, and I know that you know that handling an esports team is very resource heavy so we had to find a way to consistently support our athletes with all the resources that we have. So I had to make a decision that we had to find a new management team to provide consistent resources," Escutin added.

Chong founded Bren Esports in 2017, which is the first Filipino organization to take home the world championship title in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

It also housed players in other titles such as Valorant, Tekken 7, Dota 2, and League of Legends: Wild Rift, which are all defunct as of late.

Escutin said he and the other people from Bren Esports will try to re-explore opportunities in teams that they once handled. But for now, AP Bren will put its focus on its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team.

Bren's players are currently listed under national team Sibol's ML:BB pool for the International Esports Federation Wworld Championships to Romania.