MOONTON Games has made it compulsory for every independent organiser running official Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competitions to embed the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) Integrity Programme into their rulebooks before they can be licensed. The change, announced in June 2026, ties official tournament approval directly to ESIC’s standards and creates a single, publisher-enforced integrity framework for independent, competitive and grassroots MLBB events worldwide for the first time.
How the New Licensing Rule Works
Under the new structure, any third-party organiser seeking official MLBB tournament licensing must integrate the ESIC Integrity Programme into its rules before approval. Organisers are required to incorporate specific model clauses provided through ESIC’s dedicated portal, and the framework obliges all participants, including players and coaches, to comply with the ESIC Code of Conduct. The requirement takes effect immediately for new licensing applications, while organisers already running licensed events must update their documentation during their next renewal cycle.
Why MOONTON and ESIC Made the Move
MOONTON framed the change as a way to raise grassroots and independent competition to international standards rather than to restrict it. Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, said independent tournaments “play an important role in creating opportunities for players, engaging grassroots communities, and broadening the competitive landscape,” and described bringing their operations in line with internationally recognised standards as a vital step. ESIC CEO Stephen Hanna said the approach hard-wires governance into the way events are run. By integrating this infrastructure into MOONTON’s licensing framework, he said, “integrity standards become embedded into the operational foundation of competition itself.”
With the requirement now live for new applicants and existing organisers folding it in at renewal, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang becomes the first major mobile title to run a single, mandatory integrity standard across its third-party tournament scene, shifting ESIC compliance from a voluntary opt-in to a condition of holding an official licence.