The prolonged dispute between the ardent supporters of MLBB Philippines’ iconic duo, Johnmar “OHMYV33NUS” Villaluna and Danerie “Wise” Rosario, and Moonton shows no signs of resolution any time soon. Amidst the escalating tension, the Filipino MLBB community has united in support of VeeWise, pressing Moonton to acknowledge the duo—a demand that the Chinese publisher has recently acknowledged.
Last week, Moonton opted to exclude Blacklist International’s icons from the nominees for its ‘The Greatest Players List’ due to their association with Rivalry, an internationally regulated sportsbook platform. The VeeWise duo brought this exclusion to public attention through active engagement on social media and their podcast.
In response to these developments, their devoted fans voiced support for VeeWise and urged Moonton to provide clarification regarding the confusion surrounding the company’s stance. Fans also demanded an explanation for Blacklist’s absence in the M5 trailer.
The strong protests led to a widespread boycott by VeeWise fans, who gave poor ratings to MLBB on the Play Store and App Store. This action also resulted in a dispute with MLBB fans from Myanmar for several days. The conflict found resolution when Moonton released an extended version of the M5 trailer, featuring Blacklist and the VeeWise duo. However, a majority of fans believe what Moonton did was just damage control.
Despite Blacklist’s inclusion in the trailer, the situation caused considerable commotion, prompting the team’s management to address the issue and urge fans to remain composed. The management emphasized that VeeWise and Oheb deserve spots on the list for their contributions to MLBB, pivotal in securing MPL titles in Season 7, 8, and 10 and clinching the M3 World Championship throne.
“In a time where we should be looking forward to tournaments like the MPLI and M5, or celebrating the achievements of great players across the world, it is unfortunate that we are now more divided than ever,” Blacklist stated in a release. “To VeeWise and Kiel: Regardless of any lists, videos, or sentiments—nobody can take away your achievements. To us, you will always be remembered as some of the greatest players we’ve ever seen in Mobile Legends.”
New opportunity arises?
Despite the recent update resolving the issue, it seems the relationship between the duo and Moonton remains strained. In response to fan protests, VeeWise made a surprising appearance on Moonton’s rival show, The Rambulan Rito, featuring League of Legends games between Filipino content creators.
The duo joined team OG, comprising OG LoL content creators like BBKim, GLOCO, Suzzysaur, and Rebengga, in an event organized as part of Riot Games Philippines’ campaign leading up to the Worlds 2023 Grand Finals. Notably, VeeWise were former League players who transitioned to MLBB around 2014.
Responding to questions about the decision to invite the MLBB PH icons, Riot Games Philippines Country Manager Joel Guzman stated that the company recognized the duo’s impact on the Filipino gaming community and invited them in response to significant demand from their player base.
“We are committed to keeping a close ear to the ground and listening to our players and the larger gaming community, and with the recent excitement around League, we pursued the opportunity to engage some of the game’s biggest personalities, including VeeWise, who were similarly excited for the future of League in the Philippines,” Guzman said to SPIN.
It is noteworthy that during the boycott period, many VeeWise fans suggested other MLBB viewers/players switch to Riot’s mobile MOBA, League of Legends: Wild Rift. Given the impact of VeeWise’s fans, this drama could be Riot’s opportunity to win the hearts of the Philippines’ mobile gaming community.
This indicates that the duo has a broad audience extending beyond the Philippine gaming community. They have played a pivotal role in promoting inclusivity and diversity in MLBB and earned respect in SEA’s esports community due to their social movement.
