League of Legends fans have been eagerly awaiting the sweeping changes promised for the 2025 season. However, recent updates from Riot Games suggest that the ambitious overhaul may not be as transformative as originally anticipated.
The Promise of a Major Shift
Nine months ago, League’s director Pu Liu boldly claimed that the game would be “changing forever” in 2025, sparking excitement across the community.
Fans were abuzz with speculation about what these changes could entail, with hopes for major updates like new showcase models, Chroma splashes, core code updates, and even a rework of the much-criticized client.
Tempering Expectations
However, the hype train seems to have hit a bit of a speed bump. Andrei van Roon, League’s studio head, recently tempered expectations by admitting that the idea of a complete game-changing overhaul might have been an “oversell.” While there’s still “cool stuff coming,” it won’t redefine League of Legends as some had hoped.
“I’m really glad Riot Pupulasers [Liu’s in-house gamertag] is super excited about things being worked on,” van Roon said, “but we’re not redefining what LoL means, upgrading everything at once, or anything at that sort of level.”
Community Disappointment
This update has left many in the League community feeling disappointed, especially since 2024 was already seen as a “holding year” in anticipation of the big changes in 2025.
The lack of clarity on what exactly the “cool stuff” entails has only added to the frustration. While more events and skins are likely, they might not satisfy players who were expecting more substantial changes.
What’s Still on the Table?
According to Esports, Riot’s plans have shifted, with more game modes like Arena and Swarm—both of which were well-received—now being prioritized.
These new modes could fall under the “cool stuff” mentioned by van Roon. Additionally, Riot has acknowledged issues with the matchmaking and ranked ecosystem, though it’s hard to frame improvements in those areas as truly exciting.
Looking Ahead
The community is now looking to September for the next update on Riot’s 2025 plans, which will hopefully offer a clearer and more exciting vision for the future of League of Legends. Further details are expected in November, including what the 15th preseason will entail.
While the initial excitement has been dampened, there’s still hope that Riot can deliver something special for the game’s dedicated player base.