TikTok creator ByteDance snaps up the maker of the biggest mobile game in Southeast Asia, putting on an esports collision course with Tencent
Moonton is the maker of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which surpassed 1 billion downloads in November, according to the company. The acquisition gives ByteDance what could be its first esports-calibre title, something it has been lacking as it has sought to monetise its large social media user base through other channels, a strategy successfully deployed by Tencent.
"Moonton is definitely ByteDance's best purchase as yet, whether in terms of scale or reputation in the industry," said Liao Xuhua, a gaming analyst with Beijing-based market research firm Analysys. "In the short term, Moonton can very effectively strengthen ByteDance's gaming business."
Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China.
The acquisition of the Shanghai-based studio is a pointed addition in ByteDance's fight against Tencent. Moonton was created by former Tencent employee Xu Zhenhua, who was forced to pay Tencent 19.4 million yuan (US$3 million) in 2018 as compensation for breaking a non-compete clause in his contract with his former employer.
Tencent's fight with Moonton continues in a separate lawsuit in Shenzhen, which alleges Mobile Legends violated its intellectual property from hit titles Honour of Kings and League of Legends. The case opened in September 2018, and Moonton later attacked the judge in an open letter, accusing him of being influenced by Tencent. No ruling has yet been made.
The dispute between Moonton and Tencent has remained one of the most eye-catching lawsuits in China's gaming industry. The ByteDance acquisition extends a lifeline to Moonton, and the company is likely shelling out billions of dollars for the privilege.
Sources told Reuters the deal values Moonton at US$4 billion. Liao estimated that the deal could be close to US$5 billion.
Owen Soh, founder of gaming consultancy Eastlab Consulting, called the deal a "big move by ByteDance to get into the esports space."
Launched in 2016, Mobile Legends is a five-versus-five multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, a popular esports genre. User spending in the game has increased every year since it launched, reaching US$214.1 million in 2019, according to Sensor Tower. That success is owed largely to the game's popularity in Southeast Asia, where 44 per cent of gamers played Mobile Legends in the first half of 2020, according to game consultancy Newzoo.
Soh said that this deal could be the first of many acquisitions by ByteDance this year targeting expansion in esports and Southeast Asia. "The Moonton acquisition feels like there's some urgency to not give up Southeast Asia to Tencent, as Tencent already dominates the esports space in China," he said.
Liao of Analysys said Mobile Legends' surprising dominance in the MOBA genre in Southeast Asia is largely a result of a disjointed strategy from Tencent in rolling out its premier mobile game, Honour of Kings, in the region.
Most countries do not actually get Honour of Kings, which is made for China, but rather receive a variant version titled Arena of Valor, which includes DC Entertainment characters such as Batman and Superman. But across Southeast Asia, Arena of Valor lags behind Mobile Legends.
"Honour of Kings' overseas strategy has been very chaotic, with at least three different units having their fingers in it. Facing this kind of competition, it was hard for Moonton not to outdo Honour of Kings," Liao said.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2021. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
