Gen.G has inked a unique partnership with upcoming MOBA title Honor of Kings. Esports.gg spoke with the organization’s CEO, Arnold Hur, for more details.
Gen.G Esports is entering mobile esports by partnering with TiMi Studios, the developers of one of the most popular games in the world, the mobile MOBA title, Honor of Kings.
As a part of this partnership, Gen.G will cooperate with the Chinese developer to grow Honor of Kings when it will be released globally soon. Additionally, Gen.G will be taking part in the Honor of Kings International Champions (KIC) as a guest team. The online tournament has the largest prize pool for a mobile esports event to date at $10 million.
Esports.gg got a chance to speak with Gen.G’s CEO, Arnold Hur, about the partnership with TiMi Studios, entering Honor of Kings and more.
Honor of Kings to face stiff competition on global release, but Gen.G's Hur isn’t worried
Honor of Kings is currently only available in China and is perhaps the most played video game in the world. A 2020 report said that the game had over 100 million daily active players. Now, the game is coming globally soon and is currently in a closed beta in select regions.
While the game has managed to capture the Chinese market, it will face stiff competition from other MOBA titles when it releases globally. These include Riot’s League of Legends: Wild Rift, MOONTON’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and even Pokémon Unite. Upcoming MOBA titles like Auto Chess MOBA, which is being touted as Dota 2 on mobile, will also be in the fray.
Gen.G CEO’s Arnold Hur isn’t worried about the competition, though. He feels that there is enough room for multiple successful esports titles.
“This is an exciting time for mobile esports. Publishers have clearly recognized the global nature of mobile gaming and the potential that the esports has, and I don’t think it’s a winner-take-all market and there’s room for multiple successful esports just the same way that the same exists on PC. We love the proven track record of Honor of Kings along with the publisher’s commitment to a real business model and infrastructure that allows teams to truly partner into the ecosystem.”
Honor of King's momentum in China sets up a bright future for the game
Hur further added that Honor of King’s developer has been able to prove the potential for the game and that is why Gen.G is excited to participate. It’s unsurprising to hear him say this – the game has a franchised league in China with millions in prize money. With the right support, Honor of Kings could be able to replicate its success on the global market as well.
“There’s incredible momentum behind Honor of Kings, especially in its home market in China. They’ve been able to prove that with the right investment and infrastructure, there’s a limitless future for mobile esports. The growth of the player base and the publisher’s full commitment to creating a viable esports business model is what gets us excited about the chance to participate.”
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Hur talks about the partnership with TiMi Studios to promote Honor of Kings
The tie-up with Honor of Kings doesn’t just include a team in the KIC, but also a cooperation to promote the game as it releases globally. Gen.G’s CEO spoke a bit about what to expect from this partnership: a training academy, marketing collaborations and more.
"We view them as incredible partners and are specifically interested in leveraging the game to create a more robust academy and training system, along with marketing collaborations with some of the world’s best players and content creators."
Not the first mobile esport for Gen.G
Interestingly, while this will be the only active mobile esports game in Gen.G’s portfolio, it won’t be the first. Previously, the organization had competed in the Clash Royale League. Clash Royale is a mobile strategy game by Supercell.
While the game has been immensely successful, the CRL wasn’t able to replicate that. Initially launched in 2018 with five regions around the world, it was subsequently cut to just three in 2019. In 2020, it was brought down to two, which was when Gen.G decided to exit the game.
Despite this, Hur said that they are confident on the future of mobile esports and have been looking for the right opportunity, which has been presented by Honor of Kings.
“We used to run a Clash Royale team in China, but unfortunately, had to exit the title. We’ve always believed in mobile gaming esports and so for us, it’s not a major new change. We were looking for the right opportunity and partner to enter, and we think we have found one in Honor of Kings.”
Fans will be able to catch Gen.G Esports competing in the KIC Wildcard Qualifier from November 22th to 24th.
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