Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is marking its 10th anniversary with a renewed focus on content that reflects players’ cultures and communities, according to Hailong Quan, the game’s head of battlefield business at MOONTON Games. In an interview published on 31 October 2026, Quan described how the game’s priorities have changed since its launch in 2016.
Quan said MLBB was initially built around accessibility and competition. After a decade, MOONTON Games’ understanding of its audience has expanded beyond those foundations, with the company now looking at the personal and cultural connections players form through the game.
“When MLBB launched in 2016, we focused on creating a game that was easy to play and competitive. We wanted to ensure we were offering players a solid foundation. Over the past decade, we have realized that players want much more.” — Hailong Quan, head of battlefield business for MLBB at MOONTON Games
Local stories are becoming part of the game
The anniversary direction includes what Quan called a more “hyper-local” approach to content and marketing. The interview pointed to heroes connected with specific Southeast Asian cultures, including Lapu-Lapu in the Philippines, Badang in Malaysia and Gatotkaca in Indonesia.
For Philippine players, the reference to Lapu-Lapu places locally inspired representation within MOONTON Games’ broader effort to make MLBB globally accessible while maintaining regional identities. Quan also said players’ individual experiences influence development. Those experiences can include playing with classmates, forming a first squad, joining a tournament or building a connection with a particular hero.
- 2016: MLBB launched with an emphasis on accessibility and competition.
- 10th anniversary: MOONTON Games is highlighting locally inspired content and hero revamps.
- Southeast Asian examples: Lapu-Lapu, Badang and Gatotkaca were cited as culturally connected heroes.
How anniversary hero revamps are selected
Quan said the company assesses several factors before deciding which heroes should receive a revamp. These include the time since a hero’s previous update, combat performance, player usage, visual design and other considerations tied to meaningful improvements for the game.
That approach combines quantitative information with community interests. Quan said MOONTON Games uses data to improve MLBB, but also pays attention to what players connect with. The comments indicate that anniversary changes are intended to address both the game’s ongoing competitive needs and the long-term relationships players have formed with its heroes and communities.
The interview also placed the anniversary work alongside MLBB’s wider growth as a global game. MOONTON Games is seeking to make the experience familiar to established players while remaining accessible to new ones, with locally inspired content, updated heroes and a larger global esports presence identified as parts of that effort.
