Level Infinite has announced a new international esports tournament to wrap up the Honor of Kings esports season at the Mid-Season Invitational in Riyadh today. The Honor of Kings Championship 2024 will crown a world champion in October 2024.
Image via Esports World Cup
Honor of Kings Championship to Feature a $1 Million Prize Pool
The year-end Honor of Kings esports tournament, previously known as the Honor of Kings International Championship, was formed in 2022 to represent teams from the game and Arena of Valor. The past two editions of the tournament featured one of the largest prize pools for a single mobile esports event, at $10 million.
In 2024, however, the tournament series has been rebranded as the Honor of Kings Championship, with a prize pool of $1 million. This will be the fourth international event for the game in the year and will wrap up the season.
Why Has the Prize Pool Been Decreased?
The main reason for the decreased prize pool could be the omission of China. In the regions announced for the tournament series, there was no mention of the country, which is the biggest market for Honor of Kings esports.
Last year, during the KIC 2023, out of the 16 teams, eight were from outside China. However, only the eight Chinese teams advanced to the Playoffs. With the game being released in the country back in 2017 and only achieving a global release in 2024, China has an evolved esports scene, making it far superior in skill compared to international teams.
As a result, Level Infinite made some changes going into 2024. The Honor of Kings Midseason Cup 2024 at the Esports World Cup only featured a “dream team” from China. A similar approach could be taken for the Honor of Kings Championship 2024 as well.
The KPL Dream Team were the sole Chinese representatives. (Image via Esports World Cup)
Due to this change, Chinese viewership and sponsorship, which have been the main drivers of the Honor of Kings esports ecosystem, could decrease considerably. This is the likely reason behind the decreased prize pool.
Everything About the Honor of Kings Championship 2024
Image via Esports World Cup
The Honor of Kings Championship 2024 is set to feature a prize pool of $1 million and will take place in Indonesia next October. The host country is an interesting choice as it’s one of the most popular regions for MLBB.
As Honor of Kings looks to compete with MLBB for international players, hosting the tournament in Indonesia could be a strategic move to attract more players to the game. With MLBB’s recent release in China, it’s also stepping up its efforts to compete with Honor of Kings.
Sixteen teams will be competing from the following regions:
Indonesia
The Philippines
Malaysia
Myanmar
Turkey
Brazil
Middle East and North Africa
America
Europe
Pacific
Level Infinite has indicated that more unannounced regions will also be included.