A mobile game that made millions of dollars for Tencent ruined my sleep cycle — but showed me what China's gaming industry is getting right

• Tencent's "Honor of Kings" has more than 100 million daily active users.
• The most common gaming mode involves 10 players in two teams of five duking it out for victory.
• It — and other offerings in Tencent's stable of mobile games — are reaping big bucks for the company.

I have a confession. I've gotten myself hooked on another game, and this time, it's bad.

Like many video game fans worldwide, I've experienced the sheer joy of marauding through the landscapes of "Baldur's Gate 3," and fighting devastatingly beautiful characters in the "Final Fantasy VII" remakes. But somehow, the offerings from the Western and Japanese studios behind these two games haven't quite ruined my social life like Tencent's "Honor of Kings" has.

This author plays on the game's Chinese server, which has been around for close to ten years. It has an international server, too, which launched in June.

Gameplay-wise, it feels much like a pared-down version of Riot Games' "League of Legends." One of the most common gameplay modes — ranked battles — involves a similar method of play to "League." Five players on each side charge down three lanes and attempt to slay each other, dismantle warding towers, and break the opponent's crystal.

I'm a longtime mid-laner in "League," but my 1,000 games on "Honor of Kings" have seen me swapping to other lanes for variation.

What I've found really addictive about "Honor of Kings" — besides the brutal, relentless climb from rank to rank that's wrecked my sleep cycle — is its sprawling world.

The characters' names, from Zhu Geliang to Li Bai, are familiar to me. Some are based on Chinese historical figures, while others are based on Chinese mythology. The in-game world is also rich and interconnected, with a wealth of 684 skins and 123 collectible characters.

That's no accident. Tencent, with its solid gameplay and world building, has a thriving game that's going strong after nearly a decade. The company marked a milestone of 100 million daily active users in October.

Thomas Sharpe, a video game developer and adjunct assistant professor at Temple University, said "Honor of Kings" nails facets of gaming more than international competitors.

"The combination of extremely high production values, ongoing community support, and tight gameplay design is an achievement very few studios in the world can accomplish," he said.

"Honor of Kings" is part of a stable of mobile game offerings that are reaping big bucks for Tencent.

"During the third quarter of 2024, we delivered robust revenue growth in our games business, underpinned by consistent performance of evergreen games globally and contributions from new games with evergreen potential," Tencent's CEO, Pony Ma, said on the company's November earnings call.

Tencent's third-quarter domestic game revenue grew 14% year-on-year to 37.3 billion yuan, driven by games like Honor of Kings, Valorant, and the first-person shooter Peacekeeper Elite.

China's gaming industry is gaining ground

Sharpe called "Honor of Kings" a "prime example of a live-service gaming blockbuster."

Sharpe said the game is also built for and deliberately targets a Chinese audience. That investment in Chinese-inspired lore spawned a cast of heroes that lends itself to a rich, lore-driven world build, with "endless variety" for players.

The game's "cosmetic-driven monetization strategy" is also one of its top draws, Sharpe said.

"The allure of unlockable skins and cosmetics increases alongside the game's cultural relevance. The social value of owning a rare skin is only meaningful if you can show it off within a passionate community of like-minded players," Sharpe said.

Sharpe added that despite China's regulations on playtime and video game content, the size of "Honor of Kings" — and the resources its juggernaut of a parent company has — allowed it to remain dominant in the market some 10 years after its release.

"Honor of Kings'" success is emblematic of what the Chinese gaming industry is getting right that Western mobile game studios need to pay attention to, he said.

"Across mobile, desktop, and console development, Western studios are re-evaluating how to design games for broader global appeal, particularly to attract the rapidly expanding Chinese audience," he added. "While developers continue to refine strategies for engaging this market, it's clear that the industry can no longer afford to overlook the enormous influence and potential of the Chinese gaming market."