Honor of Kings spin-off Honor of Kings: World part of first batch of releases approved by regulator

Tencent's highly anticipated open-world RPG, Honor of Kings: World, a spin-off of the immensely popular MOBA Honor of Kings, has received approval from Chinese regulators. This approval, part of the first batch of game licenses issued for 2025, signals an imminent release. While a concrete release date remains unannounced, the regulatory green light suggests a relatively swift launch.

Honor of Kings: World, as the name implies, expands the Honor of Kings universe into a fully explorable open world. Its impressive graphics and open-world gameplay were prominently showcased alongside the unveiling of the iPhone 16.

For those unfamiliar, Honor of Kings is a globally dominant MOBA, surpassing even League of Legends in certain regions despite its initial restriction to China and Asia. Honor of Kings: World may serve as an enticing entry point for those previously hesitant to explore the MOBA genre.

This regulatory approval holds significant weight, considering the previous licensing freeze in China which significantly impacted the nation's game development and publishing landscape. The recent thawing of this freeze, culminating in a surge of approvals this month exceeding even last year's highest monthly total (as reported by the South China Morning Post), is a major industry event.

This wave of approvals suggests a potential influx of Chinese games in 2025. However, the competitive landscape may lead to some titles being overshadowed by others. Only time will tell which games emerge as frontrunners. We'll be keeping a close eye on developments.