Team SMG moves in to Southeast Asia with Mobile Legends team acquisition!

Team SMG (Still Moving Under Gunfire) has announced a new strategic foray into Southeast Asian esports with the acquisition of their new Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) under the Team SMG brand.

Team SMG was founded in 2017 where they found instant success winning the 2017 Arena of Valor World Championship with their Taiwan-based team. 2018 saw an aggressive move into PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) thanks to a strategic partnership with a Shanghai-based team. The team is bringing its pedigree to Southeast Asia, with the acquisition of Malaysian MLBB team “Makan Cendol” whose roster has played in previous iterations of MPL.

For the uninitiated, MLBB is a multiplayer online battle arena game (MOBA) played on mobile devices. Both teams have the same goal to destroy the opposing team’s base first. Since its inception, the game’s esports scene has evolved, with various tournaments held across Southeast Asia.

29 February 2020 onwards will see Team SMG competing against the best of the best from Malaysia and Singapore in a 6-week round robin regular season for the 5th season of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League (MPL) with a total prize pool of RM410,000 (US$100,000).

Singaporean singer JJ Lin is indisputably one of Mandopop’s top acts today, with impressive live performances and chart-topping hits making him a highly sought after singer, songwriter and producer in Asia. Many might know JJ Lin as an avid DOTA gamer, but may not have realized his passion for gaming has been elevated to a professional level. He’s lent his support to official Dota 2 events like the Shanghai Major and DAC Major as a guest performer, as well as being heavily involved in the development of his esports team. With his influence in pop culture, JJ aspires to propel esports to a new level.

“I‘ve grown to love the MOBA genre ever since DOTA was first released on the Warcraft 3 custom game
platform. It has since fueled my passion for esports. By teaming up with Kenchi Yap in establishing TEAM
SMG Southeast Asia, we are another step closer to our global vision for esports.”

JJ Lin

Kenchi Yap is Chief Executive Officer of Team SMG, a former professional Dota 2 player himself before coaching Fnatic to 4th place at The International 2016, and previous owner of Mineski Dota 2 with two-time back to back 9th place finishes at The International 2018 and 2019.

“I am extremely excited to work with JJ on Team SMG. Southeast
Asia is one of the fastest growing markets for mobile esports and with Team SMG, we are confident in
building a place where we can cultivate and grow local talent in the region, starting with MLBB, and
expanding to other games in the near future.”

Kenchi Yap, CEO of Team SMG