Honor of Kings is a MOBA video game that has been quite popular in Indonesia. Many prominent figures have tried this game. It's understandable because, in terms of quality, Honor of Kings cannot be underestimated.

Interestingly, this game from China was actually released about nine years ago. The question is, why was the game released so late? How did Honor of Kings finally come to be released in Indonesia?

1. Getting to Know Honor of Kings

Honor of Kings is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent Games for the iOS and Android mobile platforms. First released in China on November 26, 2015, it has become one of the most significant MOBA games in the country, eventually gaining widespread popularity.

2. AOV is Based on Honor of Kings, but Modified 

In Indonesia, Arena of Valor (AOV) was released in 2017. For those who don't know, AOV is actually a modified version of Honor of Kings. While the gameplay and user interface of AOV do not entirely mimic those of Honor of Kings, both games use the same engine. However, the UI design and heroes were significantly altered to cater to the Western market. In short, Honor of Kings was exclusive to the domestic market, while for the international market, the developer and publisher opted to launch AOV.

3. Honor of Kings: Records and Profits

In 2016, the game had more than 50 million daily active users and over 200 million registered users. The game generated ¥10.4 billion (US$1.61 billion) in the last quarter of 2016. In November 2016, Honor of Kings ranked at the top of China's pan entertainment festival "China IP Index Value List - Top 10 Games".

By May 2017, it became the highest-grossing mobile game in the world, with 160 million monthly active users. In the same month, entertainer Lu Han was appointed as the game's ambassador.

In February 2019, the game generated US$1 billion. In 2020, it generated over US$2.45 billion, making it the highest-grossing game of that year.

Honor of Kings accounted for about 50% of Tencent's mobile game revenue in 2017, generating around ¥3 billion in gross revenue in April 2017 (US$435 million).

In June 2017, analysis firm APP Annie reported that Honor of Kings was the number one mobile game globally (excluding Android games) in terms of revenue, with first-quarter revenue reaching US$1.76 billion.

A cosmetic hero skin of Zhao Yun sold for US$22 million in one day. At that time, Tencent reported 200 million registered users with 50 million daily active users. The game generated US$911 million in the second quarter of 2017. Between the last quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017, the game generated US$4.281 billion.

As of November 2020, Honor of Kings had over 100 million daily active players, making it one of the most popular games in the world and the highest-grossing mobile game of all time. It was also one of the most globally downloaded apps.

4. Honor of Kings Finally Released Globally

Despite having AOV for the international market, AOV fell short of the competition. In Indonesia, AOV initially gained some traction but was ultimately overshadowed by the dominance of Mobile Legends. Globally, a similar scenario might have occurred, forcing the publisher to release Honor of Kings outside China to reach the global market.

More astonishingly, the global release preparations took around two years. In June 2022, Level Infinite, the publisher of AOV, announced that Honor of Kings would be released globally by the end of 2022. In May 2024, a global launch was announced for June 20, 2024.

5. Is Honor of Kings Released Too Late in Indonesia?

Now, the ultimate question is whether Honor of Kings is late to arrive in Indonesia. The answer is both yes and no. It is not late because, in terms of popularity, Honor of Kings is already a well-known game, and financially, it is well-established. Even without releasing in Indonesia, it is known that Honor of Kings is a hugely popular mobile game, with many gamers using VPNs just to play it.

On the other hand, Honor of Kings could be considered late to Indonesia. The reason is that the MOBA community in Indonesia is highly active, particularly with Mobile Legends. Moonton has confidently developed the Mobile Legends community and pampered gamers with high-quality content and tournaments in Indonesia. Even the impact of League of Legends: Wild Rift could not match the strong Mobile Legends ecosystem in Indonesia. Newly released MOBA games often gain initial popularity but gradually decline.

If Honor of Kings had been released before the Mobile Legends ecosystem became so strong in Indonesia, it might have become the number one mobile MOBA game in the country. However, this is not guaranteed, as AOV, released earlier than Mobile Legends, could not maintain or grow its popularity.

Nevertheless, considering the success of Honor of Kings in terms of records and sales, it seems that Indonesian MOBA gamers are prepared to choose between playing Honor of Kings regularly or sticking with Mobile Legends. An important aspect to note is that Honor of Kings frequently holds tournaments with substantial prizes. At one point, it held the record for the largest prize pool for a mobile game.

However, given the enthusiasm of influencers and e-sports teams in playing and adding Honor of Kings divisions, it seems that this game could grow and compete in Indonesia despite its late arrival.

What do you think? Can Honor of Kings contend with the strong Mobile Legends community in Indonesia and become a phenomenal MOBA game as it has in the past?

Stay tuned for more game-related information and don't forget to follow DuniaGames on Facebook and Instagram. You can also buy vouchers for Mobile Legends, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, and many other games at attractive prices only at Top-up Dunia Games!