Prepare for intense esports action this week as the Honor of Kings Invitational S1 kicks off at the Grand Pera Emek Sahnesi Theatre in Istanbul, Türkiye. The competition will run from March 2 to March 10.
This is the first event in the new Honor of Kings Global Invitational Series and will see eight of the best international teams battling it out for the US$300,000 prize pool.
The winner will get US$100,000 and a spot in the upcoming Honor of Kings Invitational Season 2. Second place gets US$50,000, third and fourth US$35,000 each, and US$20,000 for the rest of the teams.
This inaugural tournament will bring together teams from Brazil, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Representing Brazil are hot favorites Alpha 7 Esports and Vivo Keyd Stars, the former the winner of Honor of Kings Brazil Championship 2023.
The Alpha 7 team:
With a year of professional Honor of Kings esports under their belt, these two teams from South America are likely to come out on top. Vivo Keyd Stars, in particular, had qualified for last year’s US$10 million Honor of Kings International Championship 2023, and got to pit their skills against the best teams in the world.
But they may not have an easy time of it. Representing Türkiye to fly the Turkish flag high are three up-and-coming squads: FUT KAOS, Beşiktaş Esports, and IW NRX. FUT KAOS, in particular, is setting their sights high by looking to reach the final round of the tournament and sees Alpha 7 Esports as their biggest threat.
FUT KAOS with their coach:
Founded in 2015, Beşiktaş Esports is part of Beşiktaş Gymnastics Club, one of the “big three” soccer teams in Türkiye. The esports team is newly formed at just barely one month old, but consists of experienced members who had previously competed in Honor of Kings tournaments in Türkiye.
But don’t expect them to roll over without a fight. Beşiktaş Esports says they are not afraid of anyone and are looking to make it difficult for the other teams.
Finally, we have IW NRX, a joint collaboration between Turkish esports orgs Next Rüya and Istanbul Wildcats who were finalists at a regional Honor of Kings tournament last year.
Don’t forget to watch out for the international contingent—Major Pride from Kazakhstan, Twisted Minds from Saudi Arabia, and Stalwart Esports from the United Arab Emirates.
🔥 Steadfast yourself for the ultimate gaming spectacle! 🎮✨ Get a sneak peek into the heart-pounding excitement of the Honor of Kings Invitational S1 Tournament. Stay tuned for the full reveal! 🏆🚀 #2024hok #hokinvitational #honorofkings #hokesports #hok pic.twitter.com/tb0GjLrBEm
— HoK Global Esports (@HoKEsports) February 27, 2024
“The Honor of Kings Invitational Season One tournament is our official kickoff of the new Global Invitational Series,” said James Yang, Senior Director of Level Infinite Global Esports Center, Tencent Games. “We’re thrilled to pull back the curtain on the future of Honor of Kings esports and look forward to showcasing the potential of this game as a competitive title alongside its official launch in new regions around the world.”
Schedule and format
Team list
- Alpha 7 Esports – Brazil
- Besiktas Esports – Türkiye
- FUT KAOS – Türkiye
- IW NRX – Türkiye
- Major Pride – Kazakhstan
- Stalwart Esports – UAE
- Twisted Minds – Saudi Arabia
- Vivo Keyd Stars – Brazil
These eight teams will be split into two groups to compete in a four-day group stage. The top two teams that finish their groups at the top will select their opponents for the knockouts, which will be done in a single elimination format. Before that though, all teams will take a day off on March 6 to rest, regroup, and plan their strategies.
March 2-5: Group Stage
March 6: Break
March 7-8: Quarterfinals
March 9: Semi-Finals
March 10: Finals
How to watch
The Honor of Kings Invitational S1 will be streamed on the Honor of Kings‘ YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Doors to the Grand Pera Emek Sahnesi Theatre will open at 12:00 GMT+3 and matches will start at 14:00 GMT+3.
Be sure to also check out the official Honor of Kings Invitational S1 for up-to-date results and scores and follow the official social channels:
YouTube: @hokglobalesports2022
Instagram: @hok_global_esports
Facebook: @hokglobalesports
Twitter: @HoKEsports
Play Honor of Kings
With over 100 million daily players, the free-to-play mobile MOBA Honor of Kings is set to fully debut globally in June.
Players living in MENA, CIS, South Asia, and Eastern Europe can now download and play the game immediately, joining the 1 million pre-registered players who have already signed up and scored exclusive rewards. Honor of Kings has been localized for these markets, allowing players to play and compete in their native languages.
If you need more reasons to play, Honor of Kings is optimized to deliver great graphics and high frame rates, regardless of whether they have a budget, mid, or high-end devices. With a 200MB download size, Honor of Kings is the perfect game for anyone to try out.
“Our goal is to ensure that almost every player enjoys the game to the fullest. Therefore, we are constantly improving our game. Since its release, Honor of Kings has received over 40 major updates,” said Aras Şenyüz, Tencent Games Türkiye Country Manager. “Similarly, we are making developments tailored to our country. We will also introduce local characters and appearances to the game in addition to the original heroes and appearances.”
Both TiMi Studios and Level Infinite have already committed to investing US$15 million to build an international esports ecosystem, with local and global tournaments designed for different regions.
A second Invitational will take place soon, before the Mid Season Invitational in Summer 2024 at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. This US$3 million tournament will feature 12 teams, and the debut o
