Earlier this week, League of Legends developer Riot Games announced a wave of layoffs, notably impacting skin designers including the person behind the controversial near-$500 Ahri, and it's now confirmed that the studio is introducing a whole new gacha system to sell even more expensive skins.
Although the number of affected developers wasn't initially confirmed, Riot later revealed in a statement to Eurogamer that 27 people on the League of Legends team have been affected, as well as five people in publishing roles. As previously mentioned, these include Ben Rosado, who designed the Ahri skin that was part of the Signature Immortalized Legend Collection bundle to celebrate four-time world champion player, Faker. This bundle set purchasers back a whopping $450 in RP (in-game currency), and while the exact number of sales isn't known, despite the fact that some planned to boycott the character, plenty ended up buying it.
Hey everyone! I'm sad to say this but I have been impacted by the recent Riot layoff. I have given my all to Riot and I met so many amazing people there. These were some of the best years of life but now its back to the job board. Check out my recent works! pic.twitter.com/R4MP8VOVxfOctober 15, 2024
Rosado isn't the only skin designer affected, as Tereza 'Teya' Rozumkova, a character artist behind 23 different skins including Star Guardian Akali and Mythmaker Irelia, was also impacted after four and a half years at the studio. It's a shocking loss of talent, and even more surprising when you consider Riot's claims that the layoffs weren't about saving money, but "making sure we have the right expertise so that League continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond."
Just to make matters worse, the reveal of this new gacha system came just one day after the layoffs were announced.
I've just been laid off after 4.5 years of being a Character Artist at Riot Games. During my time on LoL, I made 23 skins and outsource managed over 40 skins. I only have 60 days to find a new job in the US before my visa expires so I'm looking for a new job asap 💕(EU or US) pic.twitter.com/DhBxpHurMOOctober 15, 2024
The gacha system ties into the introduction of a new, potentially very expensive tier of skins – Exalted skins. Riot has explained that they'll be obtainable using a new currency called Ancient Sparks, which can be bought for 400 RP each. Using one will give you the low, low chance (0.5%, to be exact) of pulling "S-tier content" such as the shiny new Arcane Fractured Jinx skin – the first of this new tier. There's mercifully a pity system so that you'll be given a guaranteed S-rank pull after 80 attempts, but that's going to cost 32,000 RP – a ludicrous amount of currency that, if you're spending the absolute minimum amount of real money you can on bundles, will cost you $240. It might not be the $450 Ahri bundle, but it's still a very considered purchase if you end up having to go all-in.
Needless to say, the reaction to this series of events hasn't been positive, with some calling it "disgusting," and others saying that they're "not spending another penny on this game." Riot admits that "there’s been a lot of focus on luxury goods this year," but claims that "we're also exploring new technologies, features, and content types (even outside of skins) that are meant for a broader audience, which we’ll be able to share more on later this year."
