The MPL Philippines finally got the green light from the Games and Amusement Board to stage its ninth season under an offline setting starting on Week 5 of the group stage next month.
Moonton Games Public Relation Manager for the Philippines Keith Niño Medrano confirmed the development in an email to Manila Bulletin, saying that the league has decided to go on-site starting Week 5 up until the playoffs.
The first four weeks of the tournament, meanwhile, will remain online.
“The health and safety of our players, partners, and staff are of paramount importance. Given the current situation with the pandemic, we decided to keep the first four weeks online. This also follows the guidelines set by the local government,” said Medrano.
“We received approval to go on-site during Week 5, until the playoffs, while strictly adhering to the safety protocols such as having swab tests and limiting the number of personnel entering the venue,” he added.
Standard protocols will also be in place to ensure the safety of the individuals in the venue, including of swab testing of participants and isolation of potential cases.
“There will also be a roving safety officer to ensure everyone follows the rules. We'll also isolate potential cases, and share safety and sanitation kits with all attendees,” shared Medrano.
Barring changes in the alert level status in NCR, it will be the first time in the past four seasons that the league will hold its regular season games in an offline event.
MPL PH was able to hold an on-site event for the lower bracket finals and the Grand Finals in the World Trade Center in Pasay last season but only during its final day.
Just like in that event, the games will still be without live audience in the venue although the games can still be watched through the MPL PH official streams.
“We have decided to limit venue access to the players, casters, and staff for safety purposes. There will be no audience during the games, but our fans can stream the matches at the comfort of their homes through MPL-PH's official social media platforms - Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube,” he added.
MPL PH is still finalizing the plans and setup of the event and expected make an announcement in the upcoming weeks.
MPL PH Season 9 kicks off on Feb. 18 with M3 Grand Finals protagonists Blacklist International and Onic Philippines battling it out in the curtain raiser.