Moonton has addressed the controversy surrounding the inclusion of a certain professional player in their much-anticipated Greatest Players List, which will be held on December 17th. Amidst the uproar, Nainglin “Ace” Swe, the central figure in the question, came forth with a public statement, prompting a subsequent apology from the game’s official representatives.
Earlier, Moonton decided to exclude Blacklist International’s icons, Johnmar “OHMYV33NUS” Villaluna and Danerie “Wise” Rosario, due to their affiliation with an internationally regulated sportsbook platform Rivalry. The VeeWise duo then made this exclusion public knowledge through their active engagement on social media platforms and their podcast.
Drawing attention to what they deemed an unfair treatment, they highlighted the paradoxical inclusion of Ace, despite his sponsorship from another betting company, 1xBet. This revelation triggered a wave of discontent among fans, urging Moonton to address the apparent inconsistency and remove Ace from the list.
It did not take long for Ace himself to hear the mounting pressure from the MLBB community. In a statement released yesterday, the former Burmese Ghouls’ star gracefully withdrew from the nominations, citing non-compliance with the rules and health concerns as the primary reasons.
“Dear Fans, Ace would like to inform fans about the withdrawal of “The Greatest 10 Player” M series fifth anniversary nominations. I would like to thank each and individual fans that have voted for me to reach the top place even though ACE didn’t do any promotion for the voting,” he wrote.
“I didn’t know I was in the nominee list before the Mobile Legends Official Page announced with a post, I am really grateful for the recognition as well. But unfortunately I have decided to withdraw from the nominee list since I found out I don’t match one of the criteria from the nominee rules and due to my health issue.”
Shortly after, Moonton issued a public apology, acknowledging the confusion that had marred the community and recognizing their own oversight in operations. The company’s official statement read, “Many misunderstandings have arisen due to the lack of investigation and negligence in operations, which has inconvenienced the fans and players, and we would like to apologize for this.”
Furthermore, they sought understanding for Ace’s withdrawal and encouraged continued support for the other nominees based on their achievements, contributions, and positive impact on society. Despite this reconciliation attempt, the Philippine MLBB community remains inquisitive, pondering why Blacklist International was notably absent from the M5’s trailer, given their iconic status in the global MLBB competition.
