Revision 6

Overview

Honor of Kings: World has been featured at exactly one Apple event: the September 10, 2024 "It's Glowtime" iPhone 16 reveal event, where it appeared during the gaming demonstration segment. This is the only Apple product launch or developer showcase appearance for the game confirmed by both Chinese and international press. It has not appeared at any WWDC keynote, iPhone 17 or later launch, or Apple Vision Pro announcement.

September 10, 2024 iPhone 16 "It's Glowtime" Event

During the iPhone 16 gaming segment, Honor of Kings: World was one of the high-end mobile games shown to demonstrate the GPU and thermal capabilities of the A18 Pro chip. Apple and Tencent announced an iPhone 16-specific "ultra graphics mode" with higher resolution, advanced lighting, global illumination, and extended draw distance. The demonstration did not reveal a launch date for the game at the time of the event; in practice the game's mobile version launched in April 2026.

Baidu Baike Primary Citation

Baidu Baike's primary text for HoKW confirms the appearance: "2024年9月10日，在苹果2024新品发布会上，腾讯《王者荣耀世界》游戏出现在iPhone16游戏演示环节" ("On September 10, 2024, at Apple's 2024 new product launch event, Tencent's Honor of Kings: World appeared in the iPhone 16 gaming demonstration segment"). The appearance was further covered by IT之家 (https://www.ithome.com/0/794/642.htm), GamerSky (https://www.gamersky.com/news/202409/1814163.shtml), Sohu, and Tencent News.

Initial 2025 Launch Window Hint

Per GamingOnPhone and Pocket Tactics coverage of the iPhone 16 event, Apple's segment first publicly suggested a "2025 launch window" for the global iOS release of Honor of Kings: World. The mobile launch ultimately slipped to April 2026 in practice. The Apple event was not the official announcement of a launch date, but it did mark the first time a 2025-era timeframe was publicly implied.

Events Where HoKW Did Not Appear

It is worth noting what did not happen, because third-party sites have sometimes implied broader Apple partnerships that do not exist:

• Honor of Kings: World did NOT appear at any WWDC keynote or developer session

• It did NOT appear at any iPhone 17, iPhone 18, or subsequent Apple product launch

• It did NOT appear at the Apple Vision Pro announcement

• It was NOT featured as an Apple Arcade title (HoKW is free-to-play through Tencent's storefronts, not Apple Arcade)

Any article that claims Honor of Kings: World was featured at "multiple Apple showcase events" is overstating the single iPhone 16 "It's Glowtime" appearance. The September 2024 event is the full extent of Apple's direct promotion of the game as of April 2026.

Sources

Baidu Baike HoKW entry primary text. IT之家 iPhone 16 coverage: https://www.ithome.com/0/794/642.htm . GamerSky coverage: https://www.gamersky.com/news/202409/1814163.shtml . Esports.gg: https://esports.gg/news/honor-of-kings/honor-of-kings-world-unveiled-during-iphone-16-event/ . IndiaTodayGaming: https://www.indiatodaygaming.com/news/international/story/honor-of-kings-world-release-window-revealed-at-iphone-16-launch-event-coming-in-2025-5078 . GamingOnPhone: https://gamingonphone.com/news/honor-of-kings-world-unveils-2025-launch-date-at-the-apple-event/ .