Vainglory 5v5: Mobile esports won’t be a stepchild to PC MOBAs anymore

Vainglory is launching its free update for five-versus-five multiplayer play in its multiplayer online battle arena game today. Before now, the mobile game could only handle three-versus-three multiplayer combat, but now developer and publisher Super Evil Megacorp is releasing a “no compromise” version of the MOBA that matches the 5v5 play of PC games for the first time.

Kristian Segerstrale, CEO of Super Evil Megacorp, hosted an event last Thursday in San Francisco where esports athletes gave the 5v5 play a dry run. He hopes the new mode will give Vainglory more legs as a true esport, and one of the few that is aimed at the billions of mobile game players. I interviewed Segerstrale, and he thinks the time has come for mobile esports, which will no longer be a stepchild to esports on the PC or consoles.