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 for 2025, signals an imminent release. While a concrete release date remains unannounced, the approval 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 featured during the iPhone 16 showcase.

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

The approval is significant considering the previous licensing freeze in China, which significantly impacted game development and publishing. The thawing of this freeze, coupled with a recent surge in approvals—exceeding even last year's highest monthly totals, according to the South China Morning Post—suggests a potential influx of Chinese games in 2025. The coming months will reveal whether this leads to a wave of new releases or a more selective market.