Women prefer to play mobile games. China's Tencent sees an opportunity
BEIJING — Chinese gaming giant Tencent is betting on a rise in female players worldwide for its mobile game Honor of Kings, which rolled out to the U.S. and other countries in June.
Already a hit in China, the game drew a record 33,000 fans to a Beijing stadium on Saturday to watch two teams compete for a $3 million grand prize.
Surprisingly, many in the crowd were young women, reflecting how interest in mobile games has broadened out from the stereotypical male player in the days of console and PC gaming.
Launched in China in November 2015, the game's appeal lies in its easy learning curve and relatively short sessions of around 15 minutes. Anyone with a smartphone can play for free in real time, on the go.
«Honor of Kings became an important way for me to socialize,» said Tianyun Gao, according to CNBC's translation of her spoken Mandarin. She started playing the game in 2017 as a sophomore in college and became a professional commentator for the game's competitions a year later.
Gao, an English major from Shanghai, has moderated Honor of Kings' competitions in two languages, including an international event held in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, in August. She said her hope is to see esports become as mainstream as traditional sports, noting that one of her inspirations is a Chinese soccer commentator.
Tencent ramped up its global expansion plans for Honor of Kings this year, with its subsidiary, Level Infinite, in February announcing a $15 million investment in developing the game's tournament worldwide.
An international version of the game has been available since 2016 under different names such as Arena of Valor, but the latest global push for Honor of Kings began in 2022. The game didn't reach the Middle
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