A few days ago, during a developer stream, new features were presented on the PBE test servers of League of Legends. Players noticed that Riot Games used one of their memes to draw attention to a bug in LoL.
How did the meme come about? In a video from November 8th, Riot employee Phreak addressed the criticism from many players about the ping system:
- According to some critics, the ping system was a “restriction” of the necessary chat function
- However, LoL developer Phreak argued that it serves for simple and quick communication
As an ironic example, Phreak said that in some situations, instead of a ping, one could also write the lengthy “Karthus Ult” in the chat: As proof that a ping is much faster and more straightforward than typing the term “Karthus Ult” – according to the motto: By the time you have typed that, and Karthus has activated his ultimate, you are already dead.
The reaction of the players on Reddit was not exactly positive.
A player then made a “suggestion” on Reddit about what one could write in such situations to quickly request an ultimate from Karthus: “Dearest Karthus, I hope you are doing well. We are currently in a terrible situation on the bot lane. Please consider helping us with your ultimate ability, as I believe that Lee Sin has come to destroy our tower. Best regards, your bot lane.”
This was meant as mockery, exaggerating Phreak’s example.
“Dearest Karthus …”
What did Riot Games do in response? The meme, known in the community as “Dearest Karthus”, apparently also circulated intensively within Riot. They then decided to utilize the meme within their community and incorporate it into their test servers.
On November 21, a new update was introduced on the PBE test servers for League of Legends. On the same day, a player shared a screenshot showing a message that appears when a player tries to use a bugged item on champions like Ornn, Rengar, or Neeko.
Users then receive the following formal message: Dearest [Champion Name], we seem to have discovered a small bug with this item. Please consider recalling and purchasing an upgrade in the shop, as we believe this will benefit your further success. Best regards, Riot Games.
Riot’s response indirectly addresses the players’ criticism of their employee Phreak and his arguments for why the ping usage was restricted in League of Legends.
What is the community’s reaction? On Reddit, there are many mixed opinions about Riot’s action:
- Many users find the response to the players’ criticism bold, but still funny.
- Others, however, are still annoyed that the restrictions have not changed.
Further voices from the community are now curious if Riot will address the criticism and revert the ping restrictions.
The story with Phreak, which has been humorously processed here, also has another bitter turn:
A change in LoL is so controversial that a developer receives death threats and is now withdrawing
