KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — Former Malaysian Mobile Legends Bang-Bang (MLBB) great Muhammad Faris Zakaria believes that Selangor Red Giants' (SRG) recent victory at the Mid Season Cup (MSC) has changed the public's negative perception of the e-sports industry in Malaysia.
Faris, also known as Soloz, hopes the e-sports industry in the country will continue to grow rapidly and eventually be recognised as one of the major sports in Malaysia.
"In the past, if we looked at the e-sports scene in Malaysia, many parents did not encourage their children to get involved. However, after people saw that e-sports could generate income, that perception changed immediately.
"We can see the prize pools have increased significantly from my time, from RM50,000 to now reaching millions. I feel that this development will also help the sports ecosystem in Malaysia as it involves the country's name on the international stage," he said.
Faris was speaking to the press during the launch of the new coffee brand Kopi Saigon Dark System Series today.
SRG became the first Malaysian team to win the international e-sports title after defeating the Philippines' Falcons AP Bren Sport 4-3 at the MLBB 2024 tournament held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday (July 14).
When asked about his plans, Faris said he wants to establish an MLBB team with his partners to compete in the upcoming 14th season of the MLBB Malaysia Professional League (MPL MY).
He added that the team would take over the vacant slot left by King Empire E-sport (KGE) as the club confirmed it would not be competing in MPL MY season 14.
"For next season, my partners and I have already bought KGE's slot. We are only buying the slot and not taking over the team.
"So, the team name and player lineup will be announced later, and we will make an announcement soon," Faris said.
— Bernama
