As expected after the May announcement, Tencent’s TiMi Studio and Level Infinite released the global version of their game, Honor of Kings, on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
The popular multiplayer online battle arena game, first released in China on November 26, 2015, now has a version available to gamers in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and many other parts of the world. This follows the game’s release in regions like Brazil, North Africa, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia in late February 2024.
Its original mainland China model inspired an international adaptation, Arena of Valor. Players can choose from an array of unique heroes to engage in an unmatched MOBA gaming experience. Playing the new Honor of King’s global version will feel familiar to Western gamers, as the international adaptation uses the same game engine but with slightly different user interfaces and heroes.
With over 100 million daily active players, over 300 million downloads as of June 2024, and up to $4.5 billion in total in-game revenue since the launch of its Chinese version, Honor of Kings is a massive success. It is the second-most downloaded MOBA game, the most profitable game from Tencent Games, and, according to the gaming giant, the world’s biggest MOBA game. It’s of little wonder why its upcoming esports tournament has a $2 million prize pool attached to it.
What Players Are Saying About Honor of Kings
The game currently boasts a 4.6-star rating on the Apple App Store and a 4.7-star rating on the Google Play Store. A recent 5-star review from the Play Store highlights the game’s playability, stating:
“The heroes are dynamic and easy to manipulate if you’re familiar with the gameplay (which has been used in several games like Mobile Legends, Arena of Valor, Pokémon Unite, etc.). They aren’t difficult to get as well in the beginning, which was amazing if you preferred diverse positions in battle. I haven’t experienced crashes or delays in my connection.”
Meanwhile, another player in his 3-star review complains that,
“…the UI sucks. It’s not unique and looks like copy paste version of AOV. The lobby, matchmaking, match settlement, etc. Also, I hope they make servers for each country like MLBB. I don’t enjoy teaming up with foreigners. They are unpredictable af. Lastly, the game is so basic! I’d reached Diamond rank in just 4 days?! It only took 35 matches to reach. That’s the second highest rank next to Master. Come on, make it challenging! Make monsters tougher, even mages can solo farm.”
Regarding server availability, Tencent Games plans to offer servers in every country or region to ensure minimal latency and optimize game performance. However, players should note that global cross-server play between the Chinese and international versions is impossible. Still, Chinese players can authorize data migration when logging into the international version.
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