Due to an unfortunate incident, Mobile Legends developer Moonton made a last-minute change of venue for the M4 World Championship set from 1 to 15 January in Jakarta.

From the XO Hall, the organizer and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer opted to move the prestigious tournament to Bali United Studio for the Group Stage from 1 to 4 January and to the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan for the Knockout Stage from 7 to 15 January.

XO Hall has been beloved to Mobile Legends fans.

In fact, it used to host the Mobile Legends Professional League Indonesia and can accommodate close to 1,000 spectators.

Bali United Studio, on the other hand, is just around two kilometers away while the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan, which is just across the massive Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, is 10 kilometers away from the XO Hall.

Moonton did not elaborate, but a report by Liga Game stressed that the XO Hall caught fire on 12 December and has to be closed to pave the way for its renovation.

“The M4 World Championship is now less than a month away with preparations moving along very well. However, a recent unfortunate incident came to our attention concerning the XO Hall, a well-loved venue by many MPL Indonesia fans,” Moonton said.

“Due to these unforeseen circumstances and in order to provide the best possible experience for fans, we have decided to move the Group Stage venue to the Bali United Studio and the Knockout Stage venue to the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan.”

“This is done to ensure that we can provide a safe and conducive experience for our teams, fans, and gaming community.”

Moonton acknowledges the inconvenience of the sudden change of venue as sold tickets will now have to be refunded due to the low seating capacity of Bali United Studio and Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan.

“Due to the venue change, there will be reduced seating capacity for the Knockout Stage, and we will be refunding tickets accordingly for those affected,” Moonton said.

“Impacted Knockout Stage ticket holders will be issued 250 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in-game diamonds as compensation. The M4 team seeks your kind consideration and understanding of this matter.”

Touted as the grandest stage of completive Mobile Legends, the M-Series will dangle an $800,000 prize pool to the 16 best professional teams in the world.

The Philippines first tasted its M-Series glory when MPL Philippines Season 6 champion Bren Esports won the M2 world championship in January 2021.