Onmyoji Arena Official Account Accidentally Posts Anti-Honor-of-Kings Marketing Plan Link, Scrambles to Delete — But the Internet Never Forgets

Real corporate warfare doesn't need fancy tactics — sometimes all it takes is one misclick. Onmyoji Arena (决战平安京), NetEase's flagship MOBA, literally posted a marketing strategy link targeting Honor of Kings on their official public account, then scrambled to delete it. But the internet is forever, and screenshots were already circulating everywhere.

This isn't the first time Onmyoji Arena has thrown shade at Honor of Kings. According to players, around September last year — when Honor of Kings was hemorrhaging players over some community drama — Onmyoji Arena's official team put out an announcement claiming they'd 'make MOBA skins affordable,' actively baiting so-called 'heartbroken players' to jump ship. The irony? They then dropped the most expensive skin in mobile MOBA history: Ghost Cutter's (鬼切) premium skin at 3,688 Dharma Coins, roughly equivalent to the priciest gacha-tier cosmetics ever seen in the genre. As one commenter roasted: 'They promised a price war, then became the price gouger themselves.'

The comment section became a masterclass in collective mockery. One user quipped, 'Who's bullying whom here? That headline had me confused for a second.' Another sarcastically asked, 'Which MOBA was it that tried to recruit heartbroken Honor of Kings players again? How are they doing now?' — only to get instant replies pointing to Onmyoji Arena, plus a jab at another game (Dawn Heroes/曙光英雄) that's already 'returned to where it belongs.'

The drama goes way beyond marketing fails. The character Susano-o (须佐之男) has become a lightning rod for community rage. One player declared they quit the game the moment they got the Susano-o teaser notification. Another questioned how this character manages to be a 'royal favorite' across multiple games. Technical sleuths also uncovered that the source files for Susano-o's pre-awakening illustration apparently aren't in the hands of his current designated artist — the background disc had to be Photoshopped in, and poorly at that, resulting in distorted merch standees.

Players also pointed out that Onmyoji Arena's character animations still run at a choppy 15 FPS after all these years, with one commenter noting 'it's a miracle this game is still alive at all.' The classic comparison between the two companies got summed up perfectly: 'With Tencent games, you pay to win; with NetEase games, they take your money AND your sanity.'

The marketing plan link has since been scrubbed, but the screenshots and memes are still making the rounds. When corporate warfare spills into the open, the most embarrassing part isn't getting caught — it's that nobody sympathizes, and everyone starts digging through your receipts.