ByteDance to launch Mobile Legends game in China to challenge Tencent

Smartphone app has gained 700 million downloads worldwide since 2016

After a global success with 700 million downloads, smartphone game, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be available in China from Thursday, thanks to regulatory approval in 2023.(Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

WATARU SUZUKI

January 22, 2025 12:08 JST

Updated on January 22, 2025 16:18 JST

SHANGHAI -- Chinese technology company ByteDance is set to release its most lucrative smartphone app game in its home country, seeking to gain ground on rival Tencent Holdings in the world's largest mobile gaming market.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), developed by ByteDance subsidiary Moonton Technology, will be released Thursday in mainland China following regulatory approval in 2023. A multiplayer online game in which two teams of five "heroes" fight to destroy each other's territory, the app is free to download, with in-game items like heroes, graphic skins and skills available for purchase.