In a Q&A session, Riot Games discussed the future of League of Legends and the challenges it faces. One topic was the age of the player base and the growing competition in the gaming market.
What is the problem with age? In a closed Q&A session at the Summer Game Fest, Game Director Pu Liu and League Studio Director Andrei van Roon talked about the future of League of Legends and the challenges it faces.
A major challenge that both mentioned according to PC Gamer is the age of their player base. Pu Liu emphasizes that he has no problem with players getting older, but this brings certain challenges. However, this does not mean that the game is going downhill. Rather, it is a long-term hurdle for them.
This is not the first time Riot has faced challenges. Last year, they were able to overcome their biggest crisis in years by listening to their players.
The competition is bigger than it was 10 years ago
Why are fewer younger players joining? Game Director Pu Liu has a simple explanation for why fewer younger players are getting into League of Legends: The competition is greater.
He describes how League of Legends was the game that everyone talked about 10 years ago. Additionally, it was one of the few games offered as a time consumer
– and it was free. Nowadays, there are dozens of titles like Apex Legends, Counter-Strike, Warzone, or Valorant.
What further complicates the challenge is the complexity of LoL. Although players on platforms like Reddit explain to beginners which champions they should ban, the MOBA with over 150 champions – each with different abilities and builds – is still considered difficult to learn.
Riot Games is aware of this, as Jeremy Lee made clear in the Q&A: “As a player, I think we still have a lot to do to make the game more understandable. How we teach people the game, how we make things a bit clearer… there are many ways to just tidy things up, whether it’s visual clarity or UI, a better tutorial (via DotEsports).”
Does Riot have a solution for the age problem? Pu Liu and Van Roon do not specifically address how they plan to solve these challenges. However, Pu Liu notes that they are very aware of these challenges and will continue to seek a solution in the future.
This is not the only challenge they are currently dealing with. Van Roon says that there are many older players who are now working and looking for a balance between competitive gaming and other experiences in LoL. They do not yet go into detail about how they plan to tackle this challenge.
Among professional players, there are also some who are already considered old at just twenty-five in League of Legends. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old top laner from Gen.G proved that he has what it takes. This year he won his first title, against the world champion T1. How he felt after the game can be read here: LoL: 25-Year-Old Cries After Defeating Everyone After 7 Years, Even Surpassing Faker
