Two and a half years after the end of Heroes of Newerth, Kongor Studios has announced its comeback. Title: “Reborn”. Everything is to be improved and modernized – with the help of the community.
“Sometimes death is just an illusion,” says the narrator in a deep, smoky voice. The narrative transition from the past to the present – from June 2022 to January 2025. The trailer announces the return of the MOBA title Heroes of Newerth, whose servers were shut down two and a half years ago. Now the game is set to make its comeback – as Heroes of Newerth: Reborn.
The goal, according to the developers at Kongor Studios, is “to take everything you loved about the original and make it better.” The new iGames engine should contribute to a more modern look, smoother gameplay, and an optimized user interface.
Also at the top of Kongor Studios’ to-do list: numerous adjustments to the matchmaking. “We want to bring back the old, familiar feeling – with a fresh look,” say the developers.
“Co-creation” via crowdfunding
However, it is not just about nostalgia, but also about a sense of community. To implement their plans, the developers have called on the community for support – they call the donation and feedback program the “Genesis Campaign”.
“It’s more than just financial. We want to give you the opportunity to help shape the future of Heroes of Newerth,” says the corresponding information video.
But of course the money received is an important factor, with more than $50,000 already raised. Donations are made at different levels, for which different rewards are given.
The program still has 122 days to run – which could also allow us to draw a conclusion about the release date. It has not yet been officially announced. Based on the campaign duration, it is not expected before the summer.
Big eSport for years
Heroes of Newerth was originally developed by S2 Games, and according to employees, work began as early as 2004. Like most MOBAs, HoN is based on the custom map “DotA Allstars” from Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne. The gameplay, in turn, was taken from the Starcraft map “Aeon of Strife”. On March 31, 2010, Heroes of Newerth entered the beta phase, and on May 12 of the same year, the full release took place.
On July 29, 2011, S2 Games announced that the game would be available for free from then on, initially with limited functionality. Fans appreciated the title for its complexity and good balance, but it was very difficult to get into – Heroes of Newerth (HoN) was designed entirely for competitive multiplayer.
Which is why an eSports community quickly formed around it. Highlights were the HoN World Tours, which took place annually at times and crowned a world champion.
The highest prize money in the game’s competitive history was awarded at the 2017 World Cup: the pool comprised around 115,000 US dollars, with the trophy going to the European eSports heavyweight Fnatic.
On par with LoL and Dota?
In December 2021, Frostburn Studios, which had emerged from S2 Games, announced the end of Heroes of Newerth. On June 20, 2022, the servers were shut down. At the time, the developers did not share any reasons for this. However, the player base is said to have shrunk to such an extent in the years prior that maintaining the large project was no longer financially viable.
Which is certainly related to the fact that HoN was fishing in the same waters as the giant League of Legends or the new edition of the original Dota 2. This is not supposed to change with Heroes of Newerth: Reborn.
However, thanks to a more modern approach, the creators at Kongor Studios and its partner Garena are targeting a broader audience this time. Can the reborn MOBA cheat death in the long term?
