Skip to main content

Riot is reversing its unpopular League of Legends changes

By

Riot Games is hitting "undo" on its recent massively unpopular changes to League of Legends that essentially made everything in the game harder for players to unlock without spending money. After the company saw negative comments spammed across social media, widespread talk of a player boycott and over 32,000 signatures gathered on a petition to fire CEO Dylan Jadeja, the company acknowledged that the recent updates "didn't hit the mark for everyone." As a result, Riot is (among other changes) bringing back Hextech Chests and cutting in half the Blue Essence cost of all champions to win back disgruntled players.

For a master class in the corporate art of selling opposing messages with equal gusto, watch Riot Games' last two League Of Legends dev update videos back-to-back. Less than three weeks ago, studio head Andrei van Roon and executive producer Paul Bellezza put on their best Ward Cleaver faces to matter-of-factly explain why too much free stuff for players wasn't good for Riot's long-term finances:

Fast-forward to Wednesday's video, and the same pair can be seen hustling to backpedal as hard as possible, acknowledging that "some of you are frustrated, even questioning if Riot is still the company you've always known" while promising they "get it." (I almost expected a crisis hotline number to flash across the screen.) "When our decisions don't land the way we intended, it can damage your trust," Bellezza somberly admits:

Setting aside the amusing nature of corporate attempts to personalize business decisions, today's changes should help inspire more confidence from the fanbase.

Hextech Chests aren't just returning — you'll find more of them. Starting with next week's patch (25.05), you'll be able to earn up to 10 Chests and Keys per Act. Eight will be spread throughout the free Pass (in place of the Seasonal skin and Mystery Epic or Lower Skin); another two will be learnable through Honor (the game's system to encourage good sportsmanship). Riot stressed that these will be identical to the Chests previously earned through Champ Mastery.

Other changes include a 50 percent reduction in Blue Essence cost for all champions. In addition, Riot is delaying the widely panned Sahn Uzal Mordekaiser Exalted skin "to take more time to make sure it better delivers on its core fantasy." It also plans to take more time improving future Exalted skins, which means "you likely won't see one in every Act this year as originally planned." Finally, Clash is returning to a monthly schedule, Your Shop will be back in Patch 25.06 and the Blue Essence Emporium will reappear in 25.07.

The community is (understandably) pleased with itself in forcing the pivot. "Holy shit, bullying works," u/DirtyChickenBones (an all-time handle if ever there was one) posted in the League subreddit. "NEVER STOP BULLYING CORPORATIONS," u/HunniePopKing yelled triumphantly — as if perched on the bow of the Titanic — in the same thread.

Others retained a grounded realism about the reversal. "Don't think for one second this changes their approach," u/eBay_Riven_GG wrote. "They will keep limit-testing what they can get away with. Keep complaining if you want improvements." Reacting to Bellezza's comment about the changes not resonating with players, u/350 wrote, "'Didn't hit the mark for everyone,' bruh, it didn't hit the mark for anyone except the CEO."

You can check out Riot's dev blog post for more details on Riot's reversal on all those changes that "didn't hit the mark."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/YbwZcUp

from Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics https://ift.tt/YbwZcUp
via IFTTT

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Instagram accidentally reinstated Pornhub’s banned account

By
After years of on-and-off temporary suspensions, Instagram permanently banned Pornhub’s account in September. Then, for a short period of time this weekend, the account was reinstated. By Tuesday, it was permanently banned again. “This was done in error,” an Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch. “As we’ve said previously, we permanently disabled this Instagram account for repeatedly violating our policies.” Instagram’s content guidelines prohibit  nudity and sexual solicitation . A Pornhub spokesperson told TechCrunch, though, that they believe the adult streaming platform’s account did not violate any guidelines. Instagram has not commented on the exact reasoning for the ban, or which policies the account violated. It’s worrying from a moderation perspective if a permanently banned Instagram account can accidentally get switched back on. Pornhub told TechCrunch that its account even received a notice from Instagram, stating that its ban had been a mistake (that message itse...
Post a Comment
Read more

If only your bike had a trunk. Oh wait, now it does.

By
Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Biking is one of the best ways to get around, especially if you live in a city. It's quick, it's eco-friendly, and you get a bit of exercise.  If you already commute on two wheels or are thinking of starting, there's a storage device you kinda need. SEE ALSO: This bamboo keyboard combo adds a touch of tranquility to your workspace The Buca Boot is a pretty magical two-in-one hybrid: It’s a super secure storage box for your bike that works like the trunk of a car. You can lock your helmet or whatever else in it and leave it safely behind. It’s also a basket—open it up, and you can carry a bouquet of flowers and a baguette like the picturesque cyclist of your dreams.    Read more... More about Storage , Car , Bicycle , Trunk , and Cyclist from Mashable http://ift.tt/2eHNwLB via IFTTT
Post a Comment
Read more

California Gov. Newsom vetoes bill SB 1047 that aims to prevent AI disasters

By
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed bill SB 1047, which aims to prevent bad actors from using AI to cause "critical harm" to humans. The California state assembly passed the legislation by a margin of 41-9 on August 28, but several organizations including the Chamber of Commerce had urged Newsom to veto the bill . In his veto message on Sept. 29, Newsom said the bill is "well-intentioned" but "does not take into account whether an Al system is deployed in high-risk environments, involves critical decision-making or the use of sensitive data. Instead, the bill applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions - so long as a large system deploys it."  SB 1047 would have made the developers of AI models liable for adopting safety protocols that would stop catastrophic uses of their technology. That includes preventive measures such as testing and outside risk assessment, as well as an "emergency stop" that would completely shut down...
Post a Comment
Read more