Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Sad Socket have announced a major update for their kingdom-building auto-battler, 9 Kings, introducing a highly anticipated asynchronous multiplayer mode.
The announcement coincides with the roguelite strategy game officially crossing the 1 million copies sold milestone since its early access launch last year.
Key Features of the Multiplayer Update
- 9-Player Asynchronous Battles: Nine players face off in competitive matches to determine whose kingdom can survive the longest.
- Ranked Leaderboard System: A new global ranking system features nine distinct tiers. Players earn ELO points based on match performance, requiring nine points to advance to the next rank.
- Seasonal Rewards: High-ranking players can earn medals to unlock exclusive cosmetic items.
At its core, 9 Kings mixes kingdom building, roguelite progression, and auto-battler combat into short, escalating runs. Players build a realm by placing structures, recruiting units, stacking effects, and combining cards into increasingly strange synergies.
The appeal comes from how quickly a modest setup can turn into a broken engine, with castles, armies, beasts, siege weapons, and absurd upgrades feeding into one another. It is a game about finding a build, pushing it past common sense, and watching the battlefield try to survive the mess.
Future Plans
Currently available in early access on PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass) for $19.99 / £17.99 / €19.99, 9 Kings maintains a 92% “Very Positive” user rating on Steam across nearly 20,000 reviews.
Looking ahead, Hooded Horse has partnered with Playdigious to bring the title to mobile platforms later this year.
