Now, yes.
Probably, the release of Heroes 6? And the creation of a corresponding section...
So, HW doesn't earn anything?
HW should somehow earn. In my opinion, whether it's a mafia, banners, or ranks, it's all the same. There's little benefit for the user, but it would be better overall for the forum...

The main thing is not to put a lot of ads on the forum itself, but on the main page of the site. Or will the forum also be "bannerized" significantly?

That's exactly what happened; the release of Heroes 6 significantly attracted the attention of the Russian community.

As far as I know, HW is only paid for through a small amount of advertising on the main page; I don't see any other ways, and everything is the Creator's personal initiative. I am very envious of his wisdom in solving any issues.

HW cannot earn money because the project is not commercial.
Previously, a topic was created (I couldn't find the topic, probably it was deleted/hidden), where everyone could take the initiative and help the portal financially; the idea was excellent, but not very successful.

It is quite possible that other ways have been found to compensate for the costs of maintaining our resource.