The League of Legends balance team has gone through some major changes ahead of preseason 2024, as revealed by Phroxon on Sept. 27. He has been promoted to lead gameplay designer, while Phreak will serve as live balance design lead.
“I have large shoes to fill with the previous giants that have held the role; Axes, Scruffy, and Meddler,” wrote Phroxon. “I will continue to be heavily involved in [preseason and live pod design], working closely with Design leads to determine high-level direction and ensure high-quality design changes.”
The designer also revealed SolCrushed, who previously worked on Wild Rift, would join the League team in the role of preseason design lead.
Phreak might be the one with the most surprising journey in esports. He started working on League as a caster in 2009 and joined the development team in 2022 as a game designer. He’ll now play a significant role in shaping the next season.
The community gave a generally positive response to the announcement, including streamers and pro players. Some even begged Phreak to launch a podcast to talk about his journey at Riot Games, eager to know more of his work.
League‘s 2024 preseason will launch on Nov. 20. It will feature numerous changes that will give the game a new breath of fresh air, although it’s still unclear what those will entail exactly.
On Sept. 27, players noticed changes on the PBE that could be planned for the preseason. Those include a K’Sante rework, as well as significant changes to starting items, Smite, and jungle.
Players wouldn’t be able to cast the Smite on lane minions or pets, and its damage on champions would be nerfed, according to those preliminary changes. More information on the matter is likely to be shared in the coming weeks, as we approach the preseason’s launch.
