Multiplayer online battle arena

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Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA)^[a] is a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete on a structured battlefield, each controlling a single character with distinctive abilities that grow stronger as the match progresses.^[1] The objective is to destroy the enemy team's main structure while defending one's own. In some MOBA games, the objective can be defeating every player on the enemy team. Matches emphasize team coordination, tactical choices, and real-time combat. Players are assisted by computer-controlled units that periodically spawn in groups and march along set paths toward their enemy's base, which is heavily guarded by defensive structures. Players can influence these units by eliminating enemy waves or supporting their own, affecting lane control and map pressure. This type of multiplayer online video games originated as a subgenre of real-time strategy; however, most the traditional RTS elements, such as building construction and unit production, were removed in favor of a more focused player-versus-player experience. The genre blends elements of real-time strategy, role-playing, and action games, combining strategic depth with individual character progression and fast-paced combat.

The first widely accepted game in the genre was Aeon of Strife (AoS), a fan-made custom map released in 2002 for StarCraft, in which four players each control a single powerful unit and, aided by weak computer-controlled units, compete against a stronger computer.^[2][3] Defense of the Ancients (DotA) was created in 2003 by the Warcraft III modding community for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, The Frozen Throne, with a map based on AoS. DotA was one of the first major titles to establish the core mechanics of the MOBA genre, serving as a direct inspiration for later titles, and the first MOBA for which sponsored tournaments were held.^[4] It was followed by two spiritual successors, League of Legends (2009) and Heroes of Newerth (2010), a standalone sequel, Dota 2 (2013), and other games in the genre, including Smite (2014) and Heroes of the Storm (2015).^[5][6]

Through the years, the MOBA genre has played a significant role in the rise of competitive esports. By the early 2010s, the genre had established itself as a major component of the esports landscape, with prize pools reaching over US$60 million in 2018, accounting for 40% of the total esports prize pools that year. Major esports professional tournaments are held in venues that can hold tens of thousands of spectators and are streamed online. A strong fanbase has opened up the opportunity for sponsorship and advertising, eventually leading the genre to become a global cultural phenomenon.^[7]

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