Spectating League of Legends games through Microsoft’s HoloLens was almost a thing

Imagine watching Fnatic and Team SoloMid’s League of Legends squads battle it out on Summoner’s Rift through your virtual reality headset. Well, that almost became a reality.

At the start of December Microsoft launched Share Your Idea, asking members of the community to pitch their ideas for HoloLens experiences, which Microsoft would then bring to life through its team of designers, artists, and developers. Submissions and community voting were open until Jan. 11.

The idea that gained the most votes was a League of Legends match viewer. It would allow viewers to see the entire map, and zoom into certain lanes, or follow the action if they want to.

“The HoloLens will show the entire match playing out in real time,” said FatedTitan, the user that submitted the idea. “Not just certain spots that would be shown on Twitch or other viewing sites… this is the ability to watch League of Legends like never before.”

Image via FatedTitan/Microsoft Share Your Idea

Microsoft’s HoloLens is more of an augmented reality headset, it features holograms that enhance everyday experiences, or even games—like its Minecraft demonstration at E3 last year. So most likely this would be more like seeing the Rift sitting in front of you on a table.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. Microsoft’s HoloLens team responded to the idea, saying it just wouldn’t be possible.

“We love this idea, the creativity, and the level of support it has received from League of Legends community,” the statement says. “However, in order for Microsoft to open source the code to the community as promised, we cannot build a project which is based on existing intellectual property.”

So it looks like we won’t be seeing Summoner’s Rift and the League Championship Series games in virtual reality (or augmented reality) anytime soon. Or at least until Riot starts working on it, which it may just be doing—but a request for comment from Riot has not been answered yet.

H/T GameSpot