A lawyer from Qingdao， Shandong， with 7-8 years of experience playing the game “Honor of Kings” and practicing law， has filed a lawsuit against two Tencent subsidiaries (Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co.， Ltd. and Tencent Technology (Chengdu) Co.， Ltd.). This highly anticipated “First Case of Game Algorithm Litigation in China” is scheduled to open in the Nanshan District People’s Court in Shenzhen on August 12th.
It is understood that the lawyer noticed a pattern in ranked matches: after a winning streak， she would be matched with weaker teammates and stronger opponents， leading to a cycle of wins and losses that kept her win rate close to 50%. Although she does not consider herself a top-tier player， she has been able to reach the “King” tier in a season. However， the opacity of the matchmaking mechanism made her feel controlled by the algorithm， leading to significant doubts and a strong sense of suspicion.
The lawyer initiated the case on June 18th of last year. After 8 months and 246 days， she finally received the notice of acceptance in February of this year.
It is understood that she is basing her claim on Article 8 of the Consumer Rights Protection Law， which stipulates that consumers have the right to know the true situation of goods or services.
As a player of “Honor of Kings，” she believes she has the right to understand the methods used to match teammates and opponents in the game. However， a thorough search of the official website and other online resources yielded no relevant information. To safeguard her right to information， she has taken legal action.
Her lawsuit requests that the court order the two defendants to disclose the matchmaking mechanism for “Honor of Kings” players， including the specific factors that influence matchmaking， as well as the proportion and weight of each factor in different game modes such as ranked matches and peak matches.
Media reports indicate that representatives from the “Honor of Kings” team had previously traveled to Qingdao to communicate with the lawyer and address her concerns. However， they maintained that the game’s matchmaking mechanism is a commercial secret and could not be publicly disclosed.
The lawyer stated that there are no prior cases of this nature in China. While she hopes for a favorable judgment， she is even more eager for the lawsuit， regardless of the outcome， to raise awareness among lawmakers and industry professionals regarding algorithmic fairness in the gaming sector. Given the immense scale of the gaming industry， algorithms profoundly impact countless players.
