Once upon a time, Blizzard’s StarCraft II was the esport, yet its viewership and prize money will be dwarfed by its week 3 competitors at the Esports World Cup 2024.
Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) and Honor of Kings (HoK) will be the most popular esports globally at the Esports World Cup Week 3, as the mobile MOBAs take over at the multi-sport event in Riyadh.
You’re not likely to see Mobile Legends Bang Bang at the top of English platforms, but MLBB was EWC 2024’s most-watched event with 2,382,990 viewers at EWC 2024. Not only that, MPL Indonesia Season 15 is the most-watched esport event globally in 2025 with over 4.1 million viewers at its peak on July 15, according to Esports Charts.
EWC has an additional pull for MLBB fans, as EWC is formally part of the MLBB circuit. Similar to Apex Legends, where VK Gaming were crowned champions, MLBB’s Mid-Season Cup is integrated into EWC. Equivalent to the League of Legends Mid-season invitation, MLBB’s MSC is a hugely important event to the teams, not to mention the prize pool.
What is Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB)
Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) is a MOBA in the vein of League of Legends, bearing a similar art style to Riot’s predominant competitive esport, with simplified graphics for mobile use.
The 5v5 MOBA was developed by Chinese studio, Moonton, MLBB has been the subject of multiple lawsuits due to its resemblance to League of Legends, with LOL’s parent company, Tencent, filing against Moonton.
Despite controversy, the game remains hugely popular amongst mobile esports communities, with MLBB enjoying cultural success in China and the Pacific region. It is important to note that Esports Charts does not include Chinese viewership due to the difficulty in collecting that information; therefore, the game may be even more popular than we know.
Week 3 at EWC: What has the most prize money?
Mobile Legends Bang Bang, alongside Honor of Kings, tops Week 3’s prize money charts. Both events are at the top of EWC’s limit for prize money, getting the maximum of $3,000,000 as prize money for the teams competing. PUBG Mobile is another $3,000,000 tournament, starting on July 25.
In fact, DotA 2 is the only non-mobile event to boast that maximum prize money, with Team Spirit taking home the $1,000,000 for winning the event.
For StarCraft II, the event has a relatively modest $700,000 on offer, with $200,000 for the winner. Considering the scene in StarCraft II, with its removal from IEM events this year, $700,000 will be a welcome injection, regardless of Honor of Kings and MLBB demanding higher amounts.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
