ByteDance MOBA Game 'Peak of Victory' Gifts Dragon Year Hero Named 'Chong' — Players Suspect a Triple-Diss Aimed at Honor of Kings, Girls' Frontline Director, and More

Can one hero's name simultaneously throw shade at three different gaming communities? ByteDance's MOBA title 'Peak of Victory' (决胜巅峰) just delivered what might be the most unhinged marketing stunt of early 2024.

It started simply enough. Peak of Victory announced they'd be gifting a free new hero for the Year of the Dragon, named 'Chong' (翀). The moment the news hit NGA forums, players didn't celebrate — they started dissecting every layer of what they perceived as a multi-target diss.

First casualty: Honor of Kings (王者荣耀). 'Free Dragon Year hero'? Players immediately clocked this as a direct jab at Honor of Kings, which locks its Dragon Year hero behind a 38.8-yuan (~$5.40) battle pass. A top-voted comment nailed it: 'The "free Dragon Year hero" line is totally aimed at Honor of Kings' battle pass exclusive.' Free vs. paid — a headshot in broad daylight.

The second target was even more interesting — 'Yu Zhong' (羽中), the director of Girls' Frontline (少女前线). The character name 'Chong' (翀) literally breaks down into 'Yu' (羽, feather) and 'Zhong' (中, middle). Players couldn't help but notice: 'At first glance I thought they were roasting Huang (a reference to another figure), but then I saw "free" and realized this was actually about the 38.8-yuan Honor of Kings hero.'

The third diss target? The minotaur design itself. The hero is styled as a tauren-like creature, and some players connected this to yet another game's character. One commenter delivered the ultimate summary: 'Free = sniping Honor of Kings at 38.8 yuan. Name = sniping the "noble" Yu Zhong. Minotaur = sniping Tudouhua (another game character). What kind of trolling is this?!'

Then came the literary analysis. As one dedicated player pointed out: 'Chong literally means "a bird flying straight upward" — it has absolutely nothing to do with this minotaur hero's design. Conclusion: the devs are being sarcastic on purpose.' When the etymology doesn't match the character at all, the suspicion of deliberate trolling only deepens.

But perhaps the most savage comment was the simplest. One user feigned shock: 'Everyone's collective reaction: What even IS Peak of Victory?' A game most players have never heard of, throwing shade at industry titans with zero hesitation. The audacity.

As of now, the official team hasn't responded to any of the speculation. But here's the thing — for a relatively obscure MOBA to generate this much buzz on NGA, whether intentional or not, the publicity play might have already worked. One commenter tried to be rational: 'Maybe it's not a new hero at all? Just a troll move aimed at Honor of Kings — honestly just a funny coincidence.' But for the gossip crowd, one coincidence is a coincidence. Three stacked together? That's a 500 IQ galaxy-brain marketing move.