Tencent announces new Honor of Kings Esports partnership program
Key partner teams for many regions have already been announced
- Tencent have announced a new Honor of Kings esports partner program
- Partners will receive invite priority and promotional support
- Three teams have already been announced as debut partners
When it comes to esports, one genre reigns almost above all, the MOBA. Ever since the original Defence of the Ancients mod for Warcraft, the multiplayer online battle arena formula has been a mainstay of the esports scene alongside first-person shooters, fighting games and real-time strategy.
And with the upcoming release of Honor of Kings, their domestic super-hit, Tencent are committing to a new esports partnership program with the aim of boosting HoK's fledgling international professional competitive scene.
Tencent had already committed to over $15m in investment back in January, and now they have announced key partner teams with Rex Regum Qeon (Southeast Asia), Isurus (Latin America) and Fut Esports (Türkiye); with partner teams for Europe, the middle east and north Africa to be announced on June 12th and the 11th respectively.
Of course, it's not surprising that Tencent is putting big money like this on the line. Their chief competitor and esports monolith League of Legends has been a definitive feature of the esports scene globally for more than a decade. And it'll take a lot of cash to begin approaching their longtime dominance.
Benefits of the program will include invite priority, promotional support and more, with the promise that the program will develop and grow over time. Some may wonder whether or not this attempt to skip over organic growth in the competitive scene is wise, but it's hard to reckon with the mighty monetary force that Tencent can muster in support of it.
In the meantime, while you're waiting on Honor of King's upcoming international release, why not take a gander at our list of the best mobile games of 2024 (so far) to take your pick from virtually every genre and find something you love? Each of our entries is handpicked for the best of the best!
