Worldwide sensation mobile MOBA game Honor of Kings announced updates on its esports tournaments in 2025, including details of HOK Invitational Season 3, the implementation of Global Ban & Pick, and key information about HOK Open Series Split 3.
Here are the highlights of HOK Esports updates in 2025:
- HOK Invitational will be held in the Philippines for the first time.
- As the first MOBA to introduce Global Ban & Pick in 2018, this feature will be available at the HOK Invitational S3 and all future tournaments.
- HOK Open Series returns in 2025, providing amateur players with an entry-level platform to climb to the highest level of competitive play.
Read also:
- Honor of Kings joins Esports World Cup 2025 lineup
- HOK Codes - redeem in-game rewards
Honor of Kings Invitational Season 3
The 2025 HOK Invitational S3 tournament will take place in SM City North EDSA in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, from February 21 to March 1. Qualified international pro teams will compete for the title and a share of the massive USD 300,000 prize pool (around PHP 17 million).
The full schedule is as follows:
- February 21 - 24, 2025: Group Stage
- February 26 - 27, 2025: Quarterfinals
- February 28, 2025: Semi-Finals
- March 1, 2025: Grand Finals
Here are the 12 teams competing in HOK Invitational S3:
- Blacklist International (Philippines Qualifier #1)
- Elevate (Philippines Qualifier #2)
- Rough World Era (Philippines Qualifier #3)
- Bigetron Sigma (Indonesia Qualifier #1)
- Kagendra (Indonesia Qualifier #2)
- Nova Esports (Malaysia Qualifier #1)
- All Gamers Global (Malaysia Qualifier #2)
- Impunity Esports - Myanmar (Wildcard Qualifier #1)
- Nongshim RedForce (JPKR Qualifier #1)
- Gen.G Esports (MENA Qualifier #1)
- Team Vitality (Europe Qualifier #1)
- Alpha7 Esports (Americas Qualifier #1)
Global Ban & Pick
This draft format will be used in the Honor of Kings Invitational S3 and all future Honor of Kings Esports tournaments. This concept, first introduced in 2018, aims to make the tournament more competitive and exciting while offering new possibilities for each match.
The Global Ban & Pick format was first introduced by the King Pro League (KPL, Honor of Kings Chinese Pro League) and has been used for 7 years, with more than 8,500 matches played. This system highlights the game's diverse roster of heroes and creates a more strategic gameplay experience. In each match series, each hero can be chosen only once by each team, and there are a total of four bans allowed per game.
In a best-of-seven (BO7) match series, if the score is tied 3-3 after Game 6, the Ultimate Battle begins. In this battle, there are no restrictions on selecting heroes that were previously banned or picked. Both teams can pick the same heroes in the Ultimate Battle.
Honor of Kings Open Series Split 3
HOK Open Series returns in 2025, offering a chance for players from all backgrounds to compete. There are no rank or region restrictions, promoting inclusivity and allowing players passionate about Honor of Kings to pursue professional play.
Top-ranked squads can qualify for the Regional Pro League, where they will compete against the world's best pro teams for a spot in global events. The HOK Open Series Split 3 will have three stages: registration and qualifiers, top 16, and elimination rounds, which include quarterfinals, semifinals, and the grand final.
Honor of Kings Open Series 2025 Schedule and Regions
SEA - Indonesia, SEA - Malaysia, SEA - Philippines, SEA - Wildcard, South Asia, MENA, South LATAM, North America & North LATAM
- January 24 - February 7: Register
- February 8 - February 12: Qualification
- February 15 - February 16: Round of 16
- February 22: Quarterfinals + Semifinals
- February 23: Final
South Korea, Japan, Eastern Europe and Central Asia & Western Europe
- February 14 - February 28: Register
- March 1 - March 4: Qualification
- March 8 - March 9: Round of 16
- March 15: Quarterfinals + Semifinals
- March 16: Final
Brazil
- March 21 - April 4: Register
- April 5 - April 8: Qualification
- April 12 - April 13: Round of 16
- April 19: Quarterfinals + Semifinals
- April 20: Final
James Yang, Senior Director of Level Infinite Global Esports Center, Tencent Games, stated:
Honor of Kings is the pioneer in the industry to implement the Global Ban & Pick and has successfully [implemented] it in more than 8500 [matches], which [is] set to elevate matches to a whole new level. We are thrilled to share details for the Honor of Kings Invitational S3 and Honor of Kings Open Series, which is set to kick off a year of exciting competition as we continue to shine a light on players from around the world at all levels of play. I can't wait to see the incredible plays and creativity our players bring to the stage.
For all the HOK esports news and updates, you can follow its social media pages:
- https://ift.tt/VbTR7DO
- https://ift.tt/x8UwkpR
from PinoyTechSaga | Philippines Tech News and Game Reviews Blog https://ift.tt/S9LZwg7
via IFTTT
