Honor of Kings Festival of Lanterns
The Festival of Lanterns in Honor of Kings was a 2026 limited in-game event in the Philippines that culminated in an on-ground community event. The live event was held on March 21, 2026, at the Eastwood Central Plaza in Eastwood City, Quezon City, Metro Manila. The event saw the reveal of Kiel Calvin "OHEB" Q. Soriano, a former Mobile Legends professional player from Team Liquid PH, officially joining Honor of Kings.
The on-ground event also saw the transition of Jose Emmanuel "Ingan" Ingan, who hosted the event, from Mobile Legends to Honor of Kings.
Background
OHEB released from Team Liquid Philippines in Mobile Legends
Kiel Calvin "OHEB" Q. Soriano was a professional gold laner for Team Liquid Philippines. On February 24, 2026, Team Liquid PH announced that OHEB had been moved to "inactive status" ahead of MPL Philippines S17 for unknown reasons.
The following day, on February 25, 2026, OHEB's attorney, speaking on OHEB's behalf, released a legal statement. He clarified that OHEB formally resigned from the organization on February 6, 2026, and that OHEB did not "disappear or fail to communicate".
Ingan's departure from MPL Philippines
Jose Emmanuel "Ingan" Ingan, an esports commentator and host, departed from MPL Philippines on September 12, 2025, after serving for three years.
About
Event Mechanics
The Festival of Lanterns (FoL) was part of the HOK Benefits program, an in-game feature where players could collect a unique in-game currency from various activities that could be exchanged for physical rewards. The FoL event ran from February 27 to March 21, 2026, and it introduced new mechanics and rewards to the HOK Benefits program. The main draw of the event was to obtain raffle entries for a real-life MG One 1.5 STD Car.
"Mr. 1" mystery person
One of the main marketing gimmicks was "Mr. 1", a prominent mystery person who was officially joining Honor of Kings. A short video was given as a clue showing an unknown person smelting gold coins. This person was planned to be revealed at the end of the event.
On-ground main event
The on-ground event was held on the final day of FoL, March 21, 2026, at the Eastwood Central Plaza in Quezon City. The event was hosted by Mark Adrian "Butters" Jison and by Jose Emmanuel "Ingan" Ingan, a former Mobile Legends esports commentator. The event served as Ingan's public reveal that he had officially transitioned to Honor of Kings.
Several media partners were invited to the event to cover the reveal of "Mr. 1", who turned out to be OHEB, Team Liquid PH's previous gold laner in Mobile Legends. A press conference was held regarding his transition to Honor of Kings. Popular streamers Johnmar "OhMyV33Nus" Villaluna and Danerie "Wise" Del Rosario (VeeWise) also made a surprise appearance at the event, and publicly supported OHEB in his transition to Honor of Kings.
The event also held the lottery draw for the MG One car. The winner was from Dipolog City in Zamboanga Del Norte.
