NAVI buy Rebellion Esports, enters Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

11 February 2025

Counter-Strike. VALORANT. Dota 2. Just a random selection of esports titles in which Natus Vincere, often simply referred to as NAVI, are active. The organization has its roots in Ukraine and has grown into a major name on the international esports scene over the past few years. As the old saying goes though, stagnation means decline and they must be aware of this at NAVI as well. We say this, because the Ukrainian organization recently announced that they would be entering yet another international esports title, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). They will be doing so through the acquisition of Indonesian esports organization Rebellion Esports for an undisclosed amount.

Return to Mobile Legends

For those who follow the international esports news and especially for those who follow Natus Vincere, the acquisition of Rebellion Esports does not actually represent a debut for the Ukrainians in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. That’s because back in 2021 and 2022, the organization boasted its own team for the title as well, for a short time. It was discontinued towards the end of 2022, despite having qualified for the 2021 M3 Championship not long before that.

In any case, NAVI is now back in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang universe and they are roaring to go. With the roster of Rebellion Esports as basis, the Ukrainian organization has not created one but two MLBB teams: one that will be competing in the Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Indonesia and one that will be competing in the Mobile Legends Development League (MDL) Indonesia. The first appearance of NAVI upon their return to MLBB should happen sometime between March and June of this year, when MPL Indonesia will take place (dates have not been revealed yet at time of writing).

First, the players who became part of NAVI as a result of the Rebellion Esports acquisition:

And then, below, the two Natus Vincere teams formed to compete in MPL Indonesia and MDL Indonesia:

“We have long planned to expand the list of NAVI's mobile disciplines and establish a roster in one of the world's most viewed games with a huge fan base and a well-thought-out esports ecosystem”, NAVI writes on their own website, “Having considered various options in different regions, we saw that our plans are most consistent with the vision of the Rebellion Esports management. We are confident that together, we can reach the top of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.”