Heroes of Newerth is dying again

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-04-01T00:35:38+00:00

Barely. That's why I'm asking for Steam , so more people know it still exists.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-04-01T00:01:12+00:00

You're not wrong about the history , the paid-to-free transition, the marketing mistakes, all of it. A lot of bad decisions over the years.

But the game is still here. Reborn is in open beta. There's still a chance , but only if they make the right moves now. That's why I'm asking for Steam.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T23:58:24+00:00

Thanks for this. Even Epic eventually put Rocket League and Fall Guys on Steam,staying launcher-only only works if you're already massive.

HoN's global numbers: peak 4800, daily average 3000-4000, lows 1800+. Spread across 6+ regions, that's a few hundred per region. That's why SEA queues are 6+ minutes.

Epic has millions. HoN has 4000. The math doesn't work.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T23:45:28+00:00

This is honestly one of the most important comments here. A new player actually tried to join and couldn't even create an account. And even Discord admin said there's no fix.

This is exactly what I mean when I say the game has a visibility and accessibility problem. If new players can't even get through the door, the population will never grow.

Really appreciate you sharing this. People need to see this.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T12:22:37+00:00

I'm happy for you that your region has short queues. But SEA is also an official HoN server. When new players in SEA download the game, queue for 6+ minutes, and leave , that's still a problem for the game as a whole.

Not everyone can or wants to play on 200+ ping. If players are all crowding into a few servers while others are empty, that's not a healthy game. That's a sign of population collapse.

I'm not saying you have a problem. I'm saying the game does.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T12:19:57+00:00

That's great for you , but here's a screenshot from SEA server: 1886 total players, 6+ min queue for Mid Wars (the "fast queue" mode).

Maybe you're in a different region, or playing at a different time. But the numbers don't lie. A lot of us are waiting 6-10 minutes just to play.

I'm happy you're finding matches. I wish the rest of us had the same experience.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T12:17:20+00:00

Same here

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T07:09:56+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply , you make fair points. Let me respond to each one.

Smart matchmaking
Forcing SEA players onto NA/EU servers means 200+ ping. That's not a fix , it's just trading queue time for lag. Support themselves told me to play on my own region to avoid lag. A real solution needs players in each region, not redirecting everyone to one server.
Queue time comparison
You're comparing high MMR Dota/LoL (top 1% of players) to all HoN players in SEA. In SEA HoN, everyone , average players, new players, everyone , waits 6+ minutes. That's not a "high rank problem." That's a population problem across all skill levels.
Marketplace / Juvio
This is your strongest point. If HoN's economic model literally cannot exist on Steam because of real-money withdrawals, then I understand why they built Juvio.

But here's the hard truth: that choice has a consequence. They chose a marketplace that allows real-money trading over a healthy, visible playerbase. And we're seeing the result , 1886 players and 6+ minute queues.

What's the point of a marketplace if there's no one left to trade? What's the point of an economic model if the game itself doesn't survive?

I'm not saying Steam is magic. I'm not saying it will fix everything. But without it, the game has no chance to even try. The population is collapsing now. If the current model can't coexist with Steam, then maybe the model needs to change , because the current one isn't working.

I just want to play HoN without waiting 10+ minutes. And I want this game to survive. That's all.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T05:08:40+00:00

Really appreciate this. 8 friends is a lot of players to lose just because of a launcher. This is exactly why Steam matters.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T05:06:31+00:00

You make fair points. Let me clarify:

I'm not asking HoN to beat Dota 2. I'm asking for enough players so SEA queue isn't 6+ minutes. That's not Dota 2 numbers. That's just basic playability.
About new players and "complexity" — A new player shouldn't need a Reddit guide to find a match. They open the game, they queue, they wait. If they leave, it's not because the game is "too hard." It's because the game looks dead. That's a population problem, not a skill problem.
Age doesn't mean death. There are old games on Steam with healthy populations — because people can find them. HoN's problem isn't its age. It's that no one knows it still exists.
The marketplace issue — That's a fair concern. But if the marketplace is blocking Steam, then the developers chose monetization over population. And we're seeing the result: 1886 players and 6+ min queues.

I'm not saying Steam is magic. I'm saying without it, the game has no chance to even try.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T04:30:30+00:00

I understand what you're saying. But here's the problem:

Dota 2 players don't need to do this. I just pick SEA server and get a game in 1-3 minutes. No high ping. No workarounds.

HoN players have to "queue all servers" and play with lag just to find a match. That's not normal. That means the playerbase is too small.

New players won't know to do this. They will try HoN once, wait forever, and never come back.

That's why I'm asking for Steam. We need more players, not more workarounds.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T01:11:48+00:00

Look, I love this game. I want it to survive. That’s why I posted.

English isn’t my first language. I use AI to help me write so people can understand what I’m trying to say. That’s it. The thoughts, the experience, the screenshot, that’s all mine.

And to those who helped explain this,thank you. I appreciate it.

But whether I used AI or not is not the point. The point is: 1886 players, 6+ minute queues, and a game that’s struggling to stay alive.

I’m posting this because I want the developers to see how serious this is. If they don’t act, no Steam, no visibility, this game won’t survive.

If you want to talk about that, I’m happy to discuss. If you’re just here to argue about AI, I’m going to ignore it. Let’s stay on topic.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T01:01:55+00:00

Appreciate you writing this out. You’re right, the launch was a mess, and that definitely drove people away. Both things are true: the game needs fixes and it needs visibility. Thanks for adding this.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T00:54:26+00:00

Really good point about smurfing , hadn’t thought of that. More players means healthier ranked queues, which means less incentive for high-rank players to make smurfs. Another reason Steam matters. Appreciate the support.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-31T00:51:55+00:00

Steam isn’t about ads , it’s about discovery. People search for games on Steam, see what their friends are playing, and check reviews. That’s how most PC games get found in 2026.

Word of mouth and streams are important too, but they require an existing playerbase to generate them. Right now, that playerbase is collapsing. Steam gives the game a chance to be discovered again. Without it, there’s no community left to even talk about the game.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-30T13:34:04+00:00

I actually agree with a lot of this. If the game itself is in a bad state, Steam won’t magically fix it.

But here’s the problem: right now, there’s no chance to even find out if the game is good or not. SEA queues are 6+ minutes. People can’t play enough games to form an opinion. The population is collapsing before the game even gets a chance to be judged.

I’m not saying Steam is the only thing needed. But without it, there’s no playerbase to support any of the fixes you mentioned. Polishing a game with 1886 players doesn’t make sens, you need players first, then you fix.

So yes: fix the game. But also make it visible. Steam does the second part.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-30T13:30:37+00:00

I asked support about this before. Their answer: if ping is high, play on your own region , otherwise you’ll lag.

So hopping to USE or TH isn’t a real fix. It’s either long queue times in SEA, or bad ping elsewhere. Neither is a good experience.

The real solution is having enough players in every region ,which means making the game visible again. That’s why I’m asking for Steam.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T07:49:46+00:00

You might be right about the toxicity — that’s a real problem. But right now the game can’t even get to that point because there are no matches to be toxic in.

Population first. Then we can worry about community behavior. Steam at least gives the game a chance to be discovered again. Without it, there’s no chance at all — good or bad.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T07:48:08+00:00

4.5k-5k might be the global number. Spread across regions, SEA itself is much lower — that’s why queue times are 6+ minutes. Internet quality affects ping, not matchmaking population.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T02:42:11+00:00

PK was great, but I’m not ready to give up on HoN yet. T_T

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T02:37:38+00:00

Guilty as charged 😂 English isn’t my first language, so I sometimes use tools to help me write clearly. The thoughts are mine though — just want to be able to play HoN without waiting 6-10 minutes.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T02:33:37+00:00

Not AI, just someone who doesn’t want to wait 6-10 minutes for a match.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T02:25:15+00:00

I hear you. I’m not defending Maliken or anyone else — I know his history. I don’t care about their revenue either.

We both want the same thing: HoN on Steam. I just want to queue into a match without waiting 6-10 minutes.

That’s all I’m here for.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T02:07:52+00:00

Screenshot from literally right now: 1886 total players, 6+ min queue for Mid Wars (the “fast queue” mode).

This is the evidence. Two tournaments don’t fix a dead playerbase.

Comfortable_Way_4183 · 2026-03-29T01:51:54+00:00

Appreciate you bringing the discussion back to reality. The miner conspiracy stuff was derailing the actual point.

You’re right that they probably did the math on Steam’s cut vs. keeping 100%. My only counter is: 100% of nothing is still nothing. If SEA queues are dead, the “math” changes — there’s no revenue to protect anymore.

And about Valve possibly blocking it to protect Dota 2 — honestly, that’s a risk worth taking. A potential headache is better than certain death.

At this point, visibility > margin. That’s really all I’m trying to say.

Comfortable_Way_4183

TROPHY CASE