The Mobile Legends: Southeast Asia Cup is set to be bigger than ever with the addition of new participation regions when it returns from 12 to 18 June.

Moonton Games Regional Esports Lead Sophie Guo said after a long planning, they will finally implement the transformation of MSC from a regional event into a global midseason tournament.

The MSC used to be a battleground for Southeast Asian teams.

Last year, RSG PH won the crown and took home the lion's share of the $300,000 — or roughly P16.5 million — for winning the championship.

Prior to that, the Philippines' Execration also won the tournament in 2021 and took home P3.8 million pesos.

The competition this year, however, is likely to get tougher with North America, the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey entering the fray.

"The transition for the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup into a global mid-season tournament has been planned in the pipeline for some time, and this year is a good start to kick start the transition," Guo said.

"In line with our mission 'Esports for Everyone,' we wanted to provide these budding regions more opportunities to compete on an international level and will gradually look to upscaling the tournament model in the future."

A total of 12 teams will participate in the upcoming MSC with its tournament model to be relooked into the future with "gradual upgrades," according to Moonton Games.

Just like in the past, teams will have to qualify for a slot in MSC.

In the case of the Philippines and Indonesia, the Mobile Legends Professional League champion and its runner-up are the ones to get a slot in the tournament which guarantees both countries two representatives each.

Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia, meanwhile, will get just one representative each with its MPL champion.