In 2010, the MOBA Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was released as a competitor to League of Legends. However, it was more closely aligned with the original version of DotA and had several differences. In recent years, it has played a lesser role. It was discontinued in June 2022.
When did HoN die? Heroes of Newerth was discontinued on June 20, 2022. However, this decision did not come as a surprise:
- In 2019, the developers announced that update 4.7.3 would be the last major content patch. After that, only balance changes and bug fixes followed.
- In December 2021, the discontinuation for June was announced. So, those who wanted to play Heroes of Newerth again had plenty of time to do so.
For nearly 12 years, the MOBA accompanied players and even achieved great successes initially. However, it could not maintain its position against LoL and later DOTA 2. We reveal what caused the game’s failure and what made it so special.
By the way: A new AD-Carry will soon appear in LoL, and you can check it out in this video:
Heroes of Newerth relied on Deny and Buy2Play – and initially succeeded
What made Heroes of Newerth so special? The core principle of the game with its champions, lanes, and towers is nearly identical to LoL. However, Heroes of Newerth offered several differences, especially in the details:
- Players could deny opponents gold and experience points by killing their own minions and towers. This is referred to by the English term “Deny”.
- The MOBA was launched as a full-price title. In return, all champions were unlocked right away. Later, it also switched to Free2Play.
- The game was significantly darker than the colorful LoL.
Overall, Heroes of Newerth was considered significantly more complex and demanding than LoL.
How successful was HoN? Heroes of Newerth also launched its beta around the same time as LoL. From 2009 to about mid-2012, it was the biggest competitor for LoL – particularly because DotA itself was only available as a mod for Warcraft 3.
Although HoN’s player count was considerably lower, it was the strongest alternative on the market.
In 2012, Smite and DOTA 2 were released, and in 2015, Heroes of the Storm, the MOBA from Blizzard, joined the fray. For a long time, Heroes of Newerth managed to keep up well with these three competitors. Only DOTA 2 eventually pulled away, but it never reached the success of LoL.
Heroes of Newerth fails due to balance issues and too strong competition
Why did HoN fail? At launch, Heroes of Newerth was described as the “best DOTA clone on the market”. Although it had fewer players due to the price barrier, players who desired more depth in LoL were quite interested.
In 2011, the game switched to a Free2Play model and experienced a “small boom,” as can also be seen in the graph above. However, this boom was not sufficient, partly because many players appreciated the beginner-friendliness of LoL.
However, for HoN fans, the switch to Free2Play had some negative consequences. New champions were released that were far too strong. Moreover, these champions had to be purchased additionally – even by players who had already paid the full price for Heroes of Newerth. This was not well received.
Interest in the MOBA noticeably declined around 2014. This can be attributed to two reasons:
- Firstly, DOTA 2 became increasingly popular among players. Particularly DOTA fans who had previously played Heroes of Newerth switched from the “clone” to the “original”.
- In 2015, there was a change at the development studio and a new publisher took over. After that, regular updates were reportedly significantly fewer.
Now, Heroes of Newerth is finally no more. In the official forum, some players have recently voiced their thoughts, stating that they will miss HoN.
What do you think of the old MOBA? Did you enjoy playing it in the past, or did it completely pass you by? Will you miss it? Feel free to write it in the comments.
If you are looking for a new MOBA, you should keep an eye on this project from former LoL developers:
