Heroes of Newerth Shutting Down on June 20, 2022

Heroes of Newerth, also known as HON, is shutting down on June 20, 2022. Developed by S2 Games, HON was one of the first standalone MOBA titles. Drawing inspiration from the Warcraft 3 custom map Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), Heroes of Newerth initially released as a buy-to-play game on May 12, 2010. The game went free to play on July 29, 2011.

Heroes of Newerth enjoyed a brief window of popularity as Dota players migrated to the new service which offered better graphics, a reconnect feature, ranked play, and other features that the original Warcraft 3 custom game lacked. The release of Dota 2 sent Heroes of Newerth into a chronic decline that has lasted nearly a decade.

The official closure announcement was made on Facebook and includes a schedule of events leading up to the final closure date of June 20, 2022. The most prominent of these lead-up dates is December 31, 2021 as no new accounts can be created after this date. Veterans and new players alike can look forward to 10x increased Silver Coin awards for matchmaking games, and a 4x Diamond Chest drop rate.

Further Reading: Official Announcement [Facebook]