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

Honor of Kings: World, the highly anticipated open-world RPG spin-off of Tencent's 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 expands the Honor of Kings universe into a fully explorable open world, showcasing impressive graphics and gameplay, as seen in its recent iPhone 16 showcase.

For those unfamiliar, Honor of Kings is a globally dominant MOBA, surpassing even League of Legends in certain regions. Previously limited to China and Asia, its immense popularity now extends globally. Honor of Kings: World might entice even MOBA skeptics with its open-world approach.

This regulatory approval is significant, given the previous licensing freeze in China that hampered game development and publishing. The thawing of this freeze has led to a surge in approvals, exceeding even last year's highest monthly totals, according to the South China Morning Post. This month's approvals suggest a potential wave of Chinese game releases in 2025, raising questions about which titles will stand out. We'll have to wait and see how this unfolds.