Keeping track of how many games Chinese publishing giant Tencent is involved in can be tricky, but what’s clear is that the company is leaning into this year’s autobattler craze in a big way. First, it’s adding an autobattler mode to its MOBA, which is titled Arena of Valor in western markets and Honor of Kings in China.
As our friends at PCGamesN note, Honor of Kings is the most profitable mobile game in the world, which makes the addition of an Auto Chess-style mode a natural choice. The game will also receive a map editor, and both updates are due to roll out sometime this month.
Meanwhile, Tencent is also updating its purpose-built autobattler, Chess Rush. That game now has a co-op mode that pits four teams of two players against each other, with a four-player co-op mode due to roll out August 15, according to Pocket Gamer.
Chess Rush is also starting up its first “season” tomorrow, so expect to be able to purchase a Fortnite-style battle pass in order to earn rewards for playing. This month, Chess Rush will also add two new characters to its roster, the Undead Assassin and Undead Thief.
Tencent will update Honor of Kings, the #1 mobile game in the world by revenue, with a map editor and Auto Chess mode this August.
The 5v5 MOBA has had many content updates over the year, in line with popular trends, including a battle royale mode last year. pic.twitter.com/9BVdnDfP7m
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) August 2, 2019
There are a ton of autobattlers to choose from, and at this point it looks as though most if not all are angling for the lucrative mobile market. It’s a space that’s likely to get even more crowded before the year’s out.