The new MMORPG Honor of Kings: World gives a sign of life and invites players in China to the new beta. But in the West, one must still be patient.
What kind of MMORPG is this? While everyone in the West is waiting for the LoL MMORPG, the big competition of the MOBA, Honor of Kings, has long been working on its MMORPG. With Honor of Kings: World, a new sandbox MMORPG is set to launch, reinterpreting the universe of Honor of Kings.
There isn’t much content to say about the MMORPG yet. The first gameplay scenes remind of the anime MMORPG Blue Protocol: Star Resonance and Tarisland, both genre representatives that did not fare particularly well in the West.
The first gameplay trailers suggest that the well-known characters from the most played game in China are used as playable characters, meaning each hero has only a few abilities, and that battles are more about teamwork and tactics. The current state of the game is now revealed by a first sign of life.
Here you can watch the trailer for the new MMORPG:
Major Test in China
What kind of sign of life is this? As reported by the Chinese magazine 17173, the developers from Tencent and Netease are planning a major test for the Chinese version of the game. Players should be able to try out the new MMORPG and provide feedback on gameplay as early as February.
However, despite plans for expansion into the West, there is no way for players outside of China to participate in the tests. According to information available to MeinMMO, there will also be tests for the international market later on. When these will take place, however, is still unknown.
What is Honor of Kings? Already at Gamescom 2025, the developers showcased with a very large booth and a trailer at the Opening Night Live that they want to make their MMORPG a big success in the West.
It is no wonder, as Honor of Kings is one of the biggest games in China and has about the same status as League of Legends here. There are many fans who eagerly want to dive into the world. While we in the West are likely dreaming of the LoL MMORPG, Honor of Kings: World is exactly that for the Chinese players.
But in the West, they also want to establish themselves firmly. This was already shown by the oversized booth at Gamescom, where players could test the MMORPG, but ultimately it was much too early: The developers could not gain any more sign-ups than for a waiting list with this appearance.
With Honor of Kings: World a new MMORPG from China is coming, which thanks to the strong brand likely does not have to fear a tight budget. However, it is questionable whether the MMORPG will be successful in the West, as the example of Blue Protocol: Star Resonance and Tarisland shows that the modern Chinese formula has so far not been well received in the West. This also causes concerns for MeinMMO expert Karsten Scholz: 2025 will go down as one of the worst years for fans of MMORPGs in history
