Philippines' Smart Omega Empress Wins MLBB Women's Invitational 2024
A new era dawns for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) women's
esports. The Philippines' Smart Omega Empress (OMGE) has dethroned
the stalwarts, Team Vitality (VIT), to claim the
MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI) 2024 title.
This victory marks the first time a Filipino team has won a tournament at the
Esports World Cup. The all-Filipino squad executed a clean sweep over their
Indonesian rivals in the Best-Of-Five (BO5) Grand Finals, ending VIT's
24-match winning streak dating back to 2021.
Smart Omega Empress wins MLBB Women's Invitational 2024
The Rewards of Victory
Along with the crown, OMGE takes home USD 180,000 of the USD 500,000 prize
pool, the largest-ever purse in women's esports. Sheen "Shinoa" Perez was
declared the Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP), earning an additional USD
50,000.
A Global Stage for Women in Esports
The MWI is the biggest MLBB esports tournament for female athletes, aiming to
provide a platform for women to pursue their esports ambitions. The MWI 2024
was held at the Amazon Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the first time
the tournament was hosted outside Southeast Asia as part of the inaugural
Esports World Cup. The event brought together 12 international teams from
around the world.
The Champions' Lineup
Smart Omega Empress is composed of Gold Laner Sheen "Shinoa" Perez,
Jungler Kaye "Keishi" Alpuerto, Mid Laner Rica "Amoree" Amores,
EXP Laner Gwyneth "Ayanami" Diagon, and Roamer
Mery Christine "Meraaay" Vivero. The team is led by Coach
Salman "KingSalman" Macarambon.
A Dream Come True
OMGE Roamer, Mery Christine "Meraaay" Vivero, shared her joy during the
post-match press conference: “We want to give honor to our country. I hope we
made our kababayans (countrymen) proud, including those who went to the venue
to support us. It feels like a dream for all of us. We would like to take our
hats off to Team Vitality who gave us a good fight. We can already call
ourselves world champions."
She encouraged aspiring female MLBB players, saying, “Continue what you're
doing, especially if it is something that you love. We started from scratch,
always almost losing every time, but we continued playing because we felt like
this is something we love."
Record-Breaking Viewership
The third edition of the MWI smashed the tournament's previous viewership
records. The MWI 2024 Grand Finals achieved 265,117 Peak Concurrent Viewers
(PCV), according to Esports Charts, surpassing the previous benchmark of
179,024 PCV set at MWI 2023.
Industry Insights
“The MWI 2024 has achieved a great viewership for mobile women's esports. The
participation of the Indonesian team in the final played a significant role in
it, as well as the substantial prize pool, which is one of the largest in
women's esports history. The fact that it's now among the top three most
viewed mobile women's esports events, together with the 32nd SEA Games and MWI
2022, highlights the immense growth and increasing interest in women's
competitive gaming,” shared Artyom Odintsov, Co-Founder and CEO of Esports
Charts.
A Bright Future for Women's Esports
Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, said: "The
competitive women's esports scene has taken a huge step forward with the MWI
2024. We believe that esports is for everyone, so we're delighted to have
given the world's best female athletes the stage and #TimeToShine. We'd also
like to thank all of our fans who cheered the roof off the Amazon Arena."
Smart Omega Empress's triumph at the MLBB Women's Invitational 2024 not only
brings pride to the Philippines but also marks a significant milestone in the
world of women's esports. As the first Filipino team to win at the Esports
World Cup, OMGE's victory will inspire a new generation of female gamers to
pursue their dreams in the competitive gaming arena.
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