No, it is not Fortniteneither Minecraftneither PUBG nor any of the games that the specialized pages usually talk about. It is not the Zelda (we would like more), Baldur’s Gatelatest Mario nor any of the sagas that have been successful in the West for decades. The most successful game in the world is called Honor of Kingsa work for mobiles that landed in Europe last June and deserves attention in the I returned home of this column.
The game, developed by TiMi Studios and distributed by the omnipotent Tencent Games, has a curious journey. A journey tied to a specific idea: that the MOBA genre (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, multiplayer online battle arena game) was also possible on mobile devices. An idea that seems obvious today but was not so in 2015, when MOBAs were all the rage (World of Warcraft, League of Legends) they did it on PC. Honor of Kings The game bet on that market and, quietly, it grew until it became the monster it is today: In 2023, it became the highest-grossing mobile game of the year, generating a whopping $1.58 billion (€1.42 billion). Every day, 100 million people play it. And in July, a month after its launch, it had achieved 50 million downloads in the West.
Why is it so successful? Honor of Kings? Some of its creators speak with EL PAÍS: “In my opinion, there are several reasons why it has become one of the most played mobile games in the world, with more than 100 million people playing every day,” he says via mail Dean Huang, the game’s lead designer, lists: “We operate with a Player First approach, and a great example of this is the space required to install the game, which we have kept as low as possible.” That is, the game can be played on both lower-spec phones and more powerful devices. “We also offer a diverse roster of playable characters inspired by different heroes.” At launch there were 86 heroes; that is: people could relate to any of them. And, obviously, although the huge amount of money it moves is due to the optional payments (model freemium), the game is free.
But there is more: “We have partnered with world-famous musicians such as Hans Zimmer [que compuso el tema principal del juego]or brands like Hello Kitty and even a collaboration to integrate Bruce Lee into the game universe,” Huang says. Partnerships like these allow us to reach and interact with a wider audience, in a strategy that is increasingly common in mobile games and has spread from games like Fortnite to others like Candy Crush. Talking about transmedia products? “We didn’t start out with that in mind when we started initial development,” Huang says when asked about the possible development of the game universe. “But now we have a comic book in China and we’ve created TV series, concerts and cultural collaborations.” The road is getting more and more crowded and the strategy is clear: “We will continue to explore and experiment in the global market as well and, depending on the success of the launch, we will explore the launch of similar products.” A new game may be in the works. Lolwith appendages such as Arkane.
“Ultimately, I think there is one thing that unites all of our players and that is the thrill of an intense team battle that the game offers,” says Feng, who is responsible for the game’s eSports area, a point that they intend to expand massively in the West this year. The game is addictive. It is frenetic. It is easy to use. A quick match convinces of its virtues, while exemplifying the most characteristic mechanics of mobile games. TiMi knows what it is doing: it created Pokémon Unite, Arena of Valorand devastated Call of Duty Mobile.
Honor of Kings It is a massive game, in all its meanings. In its proposal, in its functionality, in its ability to raise money. The emergence of China in the video game market (you only have to look at the recent Black Myth: Wukong) deserves a thorough analysis, which we will be detailing this year. Now, let’s keep an eye on the mobile screen. Because Honor of Kings can give us many clues about how the digital world works. That is, how the world works.
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