Honor of Kings finds powerhouse of a fanbase in Philippines

PESO Executive Director Marlon Marcelo

Honor of Kings

MANILA, Philippines — In 2025 — the second year of its global esports scene — Honor of Kings chose to begin and end the year in one location: the Philippines. It began with the Honor of Kings Season Invitational at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City and ended with the the Honor of Kings International Championship at the Ayala Malls By The Bay at the end of this month.

"Filipino fans love esports. Even though they're not super fans of the competitors, when they see an esports event, they have this urge to actually check it out. Other locations, I have observed that it's more of the country or the pride. But it's different in the Philippines. It's the passion. When they consume or they really love something, it does not matter what country you are from, what club you are in. If it's the grand finals, I'm going to watch it,” Marlon Marcelo, executive director of the Philippine Esports Organization (PESO), said in an interview with Philstar.com during the grand finals weekend of the King Pro League in China.

When Honor of Kings launched globally last year, it immediately resonated with Filipino fans. Within a month of its release, the game had been the No. 1 one downloaded app in both the App Store and Google Play during its launch, a testament to the country’s mobile-first gaming culture and its deep-rooted passion for competitive play.

For Marcelo, this surge is more than just a trend; it’s proof of the Philippines’ growing influence in the global esports scene.

“In the Philippines, esports is becoming the unofficial sport of the youth. Everyone actually plays games. From the mobile to console to PC. But in the Philippines, it's more of a mobile-centric market because of the capability of the person,” added Marcelo.

The pandemic accelerated gaming adoption in the Philippines, transforming esports from a niche hobby into a social lifeline.

“Filipinos are social beings, they love to hang out. What happened in the pandemic was there was really a surge of gamers because that's the only way they can actually interact. So it became like your extracurricular activities after work or after studies. You come online not just for playing, but you come online to see the camaraderie and maybe just check up on your fellow gamers,” explained Marcelo.

This cultural shift laid the foundation for esports to become part of most Filipinos' day-to-day lives. And now, with traditional sports returning, esports continues to thrive, supported by both private companies and increasingly by government initiatives.

“I think it's getting bigger. Because we see different publishers actually now getting their HQs or at least getting satellite offices in the Philippines. So that's one great factor wherein we see the game publishers are now actually making sure that the Philippine market is being catered to,” said Marcelo.

In Honor of Kings, Marcelo sees a strategic title for the country’s esports ambitions. With the upcoming Honor of Kings International Championship (KIC) hosted in Manila, the Philippines is not just participating, it’s taking center stage.

“We would want to win. I mean, I believe in the strength of the Filipino gamers. We are inclined to be more accurate and be better at our Southeast Asian neighbors in terms of mobile MOBA in general,” added Marcelo.

In fact, the country's national esports team, Sibol, took part in last year's China-ASEAN Esports Competition held offline in Nanning, China and finished bronze, behind China and Malaysia.

“Any medal is nothing but zero, right? So if we get a medal, then this proves that our foresight is right. We can always brag to the government. This is the path that we want to take,” said Marcelo.

Having witnessed the grassroots and development of the Honor of Kings Esports scene with the King Pro League, Marcelo believes that with the support from the private sector and the government, Philippine esports could one day see the same growth and robust industry.

"I was quite surprised because the esports clubs here in China are very robust. They have the standards that any club should aspire to as we move forward. Definitely [it's something we can do in the Philippines]. In the private sector, it's very feasible. I mean, in the urban areas where our internet is capable already, then it is possible. But on the other side, it also opens up an opportunity for our government to actually invest in esports right now. That's why I'm here to check and then report to our national government on how big of a scale esports is. Even though we don't [currently] have the resources, we have world-class talents that actually shine [in esports]. But more importantly, since we're really good at mobile, in the mobile space, in the mobile genre, then we see a lot of opportunity, especially in HOK, to get it right and excel."