One of Tencent’s massively popular mobile games, Honor of Kings, is now targeting the international market as it enters the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as well as Eastern Europe and South Asia in 2024.
According to an announcement from TiMi Studios, the in-house gaming studio of Tencent that developed Honor of Kings, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game will be available in the MENA region starting February 21. The game first went international in 2023 when it was introduced in Brazil.
Currently, around 100 million users play the game globally, with the majority in China. Honor of Kings has garnered attention for defying gaming stereotypes, pioneering mobile esports, and popularizing “loot boxes” – in-game rewards that can be acquired randomly and may or may not have monetary value.
Thanks in part to its success with loot boxes, Honor of Kings has been a massive financial hit for Tencent. In December, it was the second-highest-grossing mobile game globally, following Monopoly Go!, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.
Although most of the revenues are from China, the game’s international expansion has faced challenges. Previous attempts to introduce the game to overseas users did not achieve significant success, with the Westernized version, Arena of Valor, failing to gain traction due to management missteps and a lack of understanding of Western culture.
Level Infinite, Tencent’s international publishing arm founded in 2021, aims to correct this. The company has seen promising interest, with over 2 million pre-registrations for Honor of Kings across the MENA, Eastern Europe, and South Asia regions as of February 6.
Tencent is looking to replicate the game’s domestic success with esports in other countries. Honor of Kings is set to participate in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this summer, with a $3 million prize pool for 12 competing teams.
The MENA region, with its growing gaming community, will be a crucial test for Honor of Kings’ second attempt at global expansion. The game is scheduled to launch in North America, South America, and Western Europe later this year.
