KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Mobile Legends Bang-Bang (MLBB) icon Faris Zakaria is setting up a team with his partners to compete in the upcoming 14th season of the MLBB Professional League Malaysia (MPL MY).
Faris, also known as Soloz, last turned out for Homebois in MPL season 11 in 2023. He revealed that his team would take over the vacant slot left by King Empire E-sport (KGE), who withdrew from MPL season 14.
"For next season, my partners and I have already bought KGE's slot. We are only buying the slot, not taking over the team," he said.
"So, the team name and player line-up will be announced later, and we will make an announcement soon."
For the record, Soloz is a renowned name in the world of MLBB and has helped Malaysia win a bronze medal at the 2019 Manila Sea Games.
However, he decided to retire after the end of the fourth season of MPL to focus on his career as a content creator and a live streamer.
The 31-year-old Soloz said that Selangor Red Giants' (SRG) recent victory at the Mid Season Cup (MSC) has changed the public's negative perception of the eSports industry in Malaysia.
SRG became the first Malaysian team to win an international eSports title after defeating the Philippines' Falcons AP Bren Sport 4-3 in Riyadh last Sunday.
He hopes that the eSports industry in the country will continue to grow rapidly and eventually be recognised as one of the major sports in Malaysia.
"In the past, many parents did not encourage their children to get involved in eSports. But after people saw that eSports could generate income, that perception changed immediately," he said.
"We can see the prize pools have increased significantly from my time, from RM50,000 to now reaching millions. I feel that this development will also help the sports ecosystem in Malaysia as it involves the country's name on the international stage."