The conflict between the Board of Indonesian Esports (PBESI), represented by general secretary Frengkie Ong, and Moonton over the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Pro League Indonesia (MPL ID) continues, with the former demanding the competition’s license from the game publisher.
Previously, Frengkie Ong said that PBESI demanded Moonton to completely overhaul the MPL ID scheme which was considered to have a negative impact on the development of local MLBB esports athletes. Additionally, PBESI intended to create a new competition to make it easier for clubs to play without having to pay the entry fee in contrast to MPL ID. However, according to one of our sources, they may truly seek to take over MPL ID.
This suspicion appears to be coming true as Frengkie Ong stated two days ago that Moonton should respect Indonesian state legislation regarding esports competition through PBESI or they would be banned in Indonesia.
“Many were asking: is MPL ID allowed or not? Could be yes or it could be banned forever. So how do you obtain the permits? Simple. You only have to follow the regulations that apply according to the PBESI decision!” he said on social media.
He went on to say that obtanining license through PBESI is free of charge, and they are willing to help develop the MPL ID scheme to fit their vision and goal. According to Frengkie, PBESI has yet to receive a proposal for organising MPL ID Season 12, and it’s the publisher responsibility to do so if they wanted to continue for the next season.
The community are calling out
The MLBB community and esports observers in Indonesia responded furiously to Frengkie Ong’s statement. Many believe that PBESI only seeks to benefit from the popularity of MPL ID in order to promote its top officials who are affiliated with political parties in Indonesia and owned several amateur esports teams.
Some popular MPL ID pundits in Indonesia and the creator of the MPL tournament, Irliansyah Wijanarko, offered a public discussions between organisers, the community, and PBESI to discuss the state of esports in Indonesia. However, no PBESI members have yet responded to the offer.
Moonton has yet to make a public remark in response to PBESI’s ultimatum for the MPL ID competition. They have, however, pledged to providing a healthy competition for MLBB Indonesia athletes through the MLBB Development League Indonesia, which has more participating teams and does not require an entry fee.
