Tencent’s Honor of Kings generated more than $1 billion in February alone

Tencent’s mobile MOBA Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor) racked up more than $1 billion (¥7.1bn) in February 2019 alone, according to Japanese financial firm Nomura.

As reported by Cifnews, the surge in sales for what’s already one of the world’s most lucrative games comes shortly after the launch of what’s been labelled as ‘version 2.0’ of the title on January 17th.

The update is said to feature enhancements to graphics and new content, including remasters of 105 of the title’s roster of heroes.

Blockbuster hit

Honor of Kings almost exclusively holds the top grossing spot in China’s mobile games market, rarely dropping off top spot.

Mobile intelligence firm estimated the game grossed nearly $2 billion in 2018 – a figure that does not include revenue from third-party Android stores in China and other territories.

While the title is a massive success in China, the Western release, Arena of Valor, has been unable to live up to the same kind of success.

If the February figures are accurate, the title looks set to smash last year’s sales.

Check out a few more of mobile’s billion-dollar club entrants in our roundup here.

You can gain more insights into the Asia markets on the East Meets West track at Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle, which takes place on May 13th to 14th.