"Heroes of Newerth Returns, Celebration on Hold"

The MOBA genre is currently navigating a difficult phase. Two of its most iconic titles, *Dota 2* and *League of Legends*, are showing clear signs of decline. *Dota 2*, once a global phenomenon, has largely retreated to a core base in Eastern Europe, while *League of Legends* appears to be in its twilight years, with Riot Games struggling to reinvigorate what was once the most dominant title in the genre.

Amid this backdrop, Garena has made waves by announcing the revival of *Heroes of Newerth (HoNK)*—a game that once stood proudly alongside those giants during the early 2010s. After being shut down for several years, *HoNK* is now being rebuilt on a new engine, and the recently released trailer has sparked some excitement among fans of the classic MOBA era.

However, while this announcement might seem like cause for celebration, there are several concerns worth noting. First and foremost, this is a re-launch of a live-service title that first launched over a decade ago. The MOBA genre itself has lost much of its mainstream appeal, with many players having moved on to newer gaming formats and platforms.

Secondly, Garena’s track record when it comes to long-term support and esports development has always been a topic of debate. The publisher insists that it never lost faith in *Heroes of Newerth's* potential—but if that’s true, why was the original version shut down in the first place?

Thirdly, the game is set to launch exclusively on iGames, a partially crowdfunded platform. This raises an important question: where is Steam? In today’s gaming landscape, reaching a broad audience without Valve’s platform is no small challenge.

For now, *Heroes of Newerth* feels more like a niche project with modest ambitions rather than a full-scale revival. While organic growth is possible, skepticism remains high. On a positive note, at least there’s a concrete timeline: the game is expected to launch within the next year.