It’s been one roller coaster of a day if you’re a League of Legends fan. Today, Riot Games released a State of the Game post revealing a whole slew of changes headed to the competitive scene, including some long-requested changes to the Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship. But the hype around the new formats was quickly flattened when the Season 2023 cinematic was released.
The new cinematic featured the voice of Mia Sinclair Jenness, who played young Powder in Riot’s popular Netflix series Arcane. But other than a new instrumental and some sweeping shots of the Summoner’s Rift in 3D, there was no action, animations, champions, or storyline of any kind. It was a disappointing start to the year, especially when compared to the trailers that have been released in years past.
As a result, the trailer has raised further concerns about the current state of the game as a whole within some of the player base. On the League subreddit, for example, there are multiple posts on the front page with thousands of upvotes that echo similar, disapproving thoughts around Riot’s alleged lack of passion for the game.
Related: ‘Extremely underwhelming’: League’s latest cinematic leaves sour taste in fans’ mouths
Some have started comparing the amount of content other Riot titles have received as a possible indicator of worry. VALORANT, for example, has consistently had well-produced trailers and videos made for its new seasons, maps, skin lines, and new agents, while League has no announcements for any new 2023 events, the season trailer was uninspiring, and the lore-building seems to have slid to a halt.
“I don’t want to come off as ‘just another person complaining about stuff,’ since I’d still like to believe in Riot and the game itself, but the lack of communication really makes it difficult to keep my hopes up,” one user said. “I don’t think it’s fair to say that Riot doesn’t care about League anymore, but with how Riot seems to be ignoring our complaints I can see why many people feel that way.”
The esports side might be flourishing, but there are droves of fans who are still asking for answers from Riot—more so than ever before.
