In League of Legends there is a skill that is so good that almost everyone plays it – the developers considered removing it from the game years ago.
Which skill is it? In League of Legends, each player can choose two so-called Summoner Spells, which give you an additional ability independent of the champion being played.
One of the two spells played is “Flash” for most players, as it provides additional mobility. It is used for retreating or to chase down an opponent and prevent them from escaping.
Riot Games Lead Designer August Browning recently shared a story from the early days of League of Legends in a video. He said that Flash was almost completely removed from the game back then (via Reddit).
What does the developer say about Flash? Browning recounts that the development team believed in the early days of LoL that it was impossible to balance Flash properly: The spell should be completely removed to give players a real choice and not everyone to play Flash.
Then, Browning reports, a developer posed a crucial question: “Is the game better if everyone has Flash?” And the answer the team came up with was, according to Browning: “Yes, the game is significantly better and more enjoyable.”
The team found that the enjoyment of the players was more important than strict balancing – so Flash was allowed to stay.
Even today, Flash is still extremely popular among players and is used so often that it stands out when a player does not use the spell. Even among professionals, Flash is an important part of a team’s strategy.
The term “Summoner Spell” originates from the original lore of League of Legends, but Riot completely restructured the lore of the popular MOBA in 2014. What it originally meant with the summoners can be read here on MeinMMO: Many have forgotten, but over 10 years ago, an important part of LoL’s story was banned, but not everything was removed
