Winning team NU Bulldogs from the Philippines bested eight elite teams from Southeast Asia.

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The inaugural Samsung x MLBB – Galaxy Gaming Campus Tournament (Galaxy Gaming Academy X Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Campus Series 2025) has successfully concluded, marking a pivotal moment for collegiate esports in Southeast Asia. This groundbreaking tournament brought together the brightest student gamers from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore in the first-ever inter-country MLBB Campus Series, designed to nurture emerging talent and build a vibrant community of competitive gamers.

The cross-national grand finals, held from June 20-22 at Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta, known as the “esports shopping mall”, saw team NU Bulldogs from the Philippines emerge victorious after intense competition among the top eight elite teams. The tournament attracted over 1,000 participating teams from four countries, through domestic qualifiers, all vying for the substantial US$40,000 prize pool.

“Samsung is deeply committed to empowering the next generation of esports talent across Southeast Asia,” said Carl Nordenberg, VP, Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania. “The Galaxy Gaming Academy x MLBB Campus Series reflects our dedication to providing students with the technology, platform, and opportunities they need to excel in competitive gaming. We are proud to support these young athletes as they pursue their esports dreams – and we are excited for a fun and engaging competition between Southeast Asian universities!”

Ray Ng, Head of Ecosystem, MOONTON Games, emphasized the significance of the partnership: “The collaboration between MOONTON Games and Samsung for the first-ever inter-country MLBB Campus Series Tournament significantly aligns with our commitment to building a strong foundation for aspiring gamers to pursue their esports careers through the tournament. We thank Samsung for this partnership and the Galaxy Gaming Academy that successfully showcased their commitment in the gaming and esports ecosystem while encouraging esports development and student participation across the region.”

NU Bulldogs from the Philippines claimed the championship title and the top prize of US$18,000. NU Bulldogs demonstrated exceptional skill, strategy, and teamwork throughout the tournament, proving themselves as the premier campus MLBB team in Southeast Asia.

FAITH NOVUS Bravehearts, settling for second place, took home US$8,000, while third placer VL Team from Indonesia won US$5,000.

First runners up: FAITH NOVUS Bravehearts team from the Philippines.

Second runners up: VL Team from Indonesia.

“Taking home the championship title is beyond what we imagined when we first registered. Playing against the best campus teams from Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore has made us all better players and showed us the incredible depth of talent in our region. This tournament proves that student gamers deserve serious recognition and support, and we cannot wait to see how this grows in the future. We hope more students will join us in competitive gaming!” said Patrick Balanquit, coach for the NU Bulldogs.

GGA x MCS 2025 Tournament Highlights

The GGA x MCS 2025 featured a comprehensive three-stage tournament structure. Beginning with open registration from March 15 to April 6, the competition progressed through domestic online qualifiers (April 7-May 11) across all four countries, with Indonesia conducting an additional offline national competition (April 19-May 25) to select its national finalists. The top two campus teams from each country then advanced to compete in the cross-national grand finals in Jakarta.

Crowds gather to see the teams battle it out on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra takes the centerstage as the tournament phone for the MLBB Campus Series. The cutting-edge device provides optimal and professional-level gaming experience for the participants.

The competition highlighted the incredible depth of young esports talent across Southeast Asia, with teams displaying advanced tactical understanding, mechanical skill, and coordinated gameplay typically seen at professional levels. The tournament was enhanced by Samsung’s provision of innovative Galaxy mobile devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, ensuring all competitors had access to optimal gaming performance, display quality, and responsiveness crucial for the professional-level Mobile Legends: Bang Bang competition.

A key highlight of the tournament was the active presence of representatives from professional esports teams, including Dewa United, Onic, EVOS, and Team Liquid, reinforcing the event’s primary objective of providing a structured platform for aspiring student gamers to compete at high levels while gaining invaluable competitive experience. Events like GGA x MCS 2025 are intended to help lower traditional barriers to entry for aspiring esports athletes, creating direct pathways from campus competition to professional careers.

Looking to the Future of GGA x MCS

The success of the inaugural Galaxy Gaming Academy x MLBB Campus Series 2025 establishes a new standard for collegiate esports in Southeast Asia. The tournament has demonstrated that with proper structure, technology support, and community engagement, campus-level esports can achieve professional-quality standards while maintaining the vibrant, passionate spirit of collegiate competition.

The comprehensive engagement journey—from pre-event awareness building through post-tournament talent scouting—has created a blueprint for sustainable esports ecosystem development that other regions can emulate.

For more details on Galaxy Gaming Academy, please visit Samsung’s Game Portal.

[MANILA, 26 March 2025] Samsung Electronics continues to redefine gaming innovation with the Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series in an exciting new partnership with MOONTON Games. Kicking off the partnership is the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Campus Series, which will be launched for the first time across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

With MLBB being one of the most popular games in the region, the first-of-its-kind collaboration with MOONTON Games provides student mobile gamers with a large-scale competitive platform to hone their skills at a regional level while leveraging the Galaxy S25 Ultra, a mobile gaming powerhouse, to elevate their performance.

Bringing Student Esports to the Next Level

More than just a competition, the Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series is a gateway for student gamers aged 18 and above to pursue their esports aspirations. The tournament will span multiple national championships, culminating in an electrifying regional playoffs, followed by the grand finals in Indonesia, where the best student teams will battle for the regional championship.

Through this initiative, Samsung aims to bridge the gap between student and professional esports, ensuring that young talents have a clear and competitive path to turning their gaming dreams into reality.

Powering the Future of Mobile Esports with Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is at the heart of this initiative, providing participants with the ultimate gaming experience. Designed for peak performance, the Galaxy S25 Ultra features:

• Advanced Snapdragon® 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy for seamless gameplay
• 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display for ultra-smooth graphics
• Vulkan Engine for smoother and more realistic gaming
• Long-lasting battery life, and a larger vapor chamber and tailored thermal interface material (TIM) for efficient heat dissipation to sustain long gaming sessions[1]

“We believe in providing the next generation of gamers with the best technology and opportunities to help them reach their full potential. Through Samsung’s Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series, we are not only equipping students with mobile devices that provide the best gaming experience, we are also creating a forum for them to develop their skills, gain experience, and expand their community. For some, Galaxy Gaming Academy may even help them build toward a professional esports career. With MLBB’s popularity and wide appeal in this region, our partnership with Moonton will enable us to reach to more young, talented gamers across Southeast Asia,” said Carl Nordenberg, VP, Regional Head of Mobile Experience, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia and Oceania.”

Ray Ng, Head of Ecosystem, MOONTON Games, said, “This partnership with Samsung marks a new milestone in expanding the reach of student-focused esports. We thank Samsung for this collaboration that underscores a shared vision of strengthening grassroots esports opportunities and creating a sustainable pathway for young players to grow within the MLBB ecosystem. With MCS set to expand further in the coming years, students can look forward to more tournaments, activities, and experiences, allowing them to dive deeper into the dynamic world of esports. Stay tuned as MCS continues to redefine campus-level esports and inspire the next generation of MLBB champions.”

Samsung Game Portal: Your Gateway to Competitive Gaming

All interested participants will need to register for the Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series using Samsung’s Game Portal at https://www.samsung.com/ph/game-portal/. This one-stop platform will serve as the central hub for Samsung’s gaming ecosystem, registrations, and tournament information, ensuring that players and viewers across Southeast Asia have convenient access to everything they need to compete and enjoy the games.

A Landmark Tournament for Southeast Asian Mobile Gamers

With local tournaments set to ignite across the region, the best campus teams will battle for a chance to compete in the grand finals in Indonesia to find out who is the best MLBB student team in Southeast Asia.

Stay tuned as the Galaxy Gaming Academy Campus Series unfolds — where the next generation of MLBB stars will be discovered.

Tournament Dates

Prize Pool

Total: USD 40,000

• 1st place: USD 18,000
• 2nd place: USD 8,000
• 3rd place: USD 5,000
• 4th place: USD 3,000
• 5th – 8th place: USD 1,500

For more details on Galaxy Gaming Academy, please visit Samsung’s Game Portal. You may also follow the official social channels of Samsung Electronics and MOONTON Games for more details.

[1] Compared to Galaxy S24 Ultra. AP performance improvements shown compared to Galaxy S24 Ultra. Actual performance will depend on user environment, conditions and pre-installed software and applications.

About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is one of the most popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games worldwide that brings communities together through teamwork and strategy. With over 1.5 billion installations and 110 million active monthly users, the award-winning game is among the top 10 most played in over 80 countries. With an extensive reach across the Asia Pacific region, the multiplayer is available in 139 countries with an expansive global esports presence. 

About MOONTON Games

Established in 2014, MOONTON is a global video game company dedicated to gaming development, publication, and esports. With more than 1,600 employees worldwide, the company operates offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Latin America, and China. It has successfully launched several high-profile mobile games globally and has built long-term relationships with governments and esports organizations in more than 30 countries around the world. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is its current star game and the leading mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game worldwide. For more information, visit https://en.moonton.com.