Over 2 Years Since the Acquisition, Riot Has Deeply Engaged the League of Legends Community
From the transition to Riot’s management in 2022
At the beginning of 2022, Riot officially transferred all accounts currently in use on Garena’s servers to its own servers. All accounts that were migrated received a “reward,” which was to retain all the features that existed in League of Legends up to that point. Certainly, for games that did not have full features, this was a special privilege aimed at enhancing player enjoyment when switching to a “new home.”
At the time of the transfer, this approach from Riot was indeed a highlight. Although there were many challenges during the transition, many players expressed immense satisfaction. However, the initial excitement was soon followed by several issues that Riot brought to players in Vietnam.
Vanguard and the Continuous Apologies When Players Couldn’t Log In
Since the implementation of the Vanguard system to prevent players from using tools, hacks, or cheats in League of Legends, players have been left in a “crying mess.” This issue not only caused some unrelated software to conflict but also led Vanguard to sometimes prevent players from logging into the game or entering matches, causing them to get kicked out mid-game.
However, Riot has only focused on issuing apologies and addressing these issues. As for compensation for players? That remains just a vague concept in the hopes of the gaming community. In reality, nothing significant has occurred following these incidents from Riot that has negatively impacted their customer base.
Handling the “32 Teams” Drama
One of the most significant controversies Riot faced was the situation concerning the “32 teams.” At that point, this controversy ranked 3rd among the top 5 most significant controversies in League of Legends history. However, considering the damage caused, the incident was not as trivial as one might think.
Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that these were the steps Riot had to take to professionalize League of Legends, which did not bring any direct benefits to players in the normal gaming environment. Despite this, these changes significantly altered the entire VCS as well as Vietnamese Esports.
Removing the Old Features and Introducing New Ones is a Crucial Change in League of Legends
One of the most evident changes in League of Legends after the transition from Garena to Riot was the removal of outdated features that had previously existed. However, some players initially overlooked this change. Similar to “crying over spilled milk,” Riot announced the removal of the Hextech Runes system and Essence.
Of course, it was not only Vietnamese players but the entire League of Legends community that felt this update. Yet, with players in Vietnam accustomed to the previous systems, the removal of essential features by Riot has created a significant backlash.
Moreover, according to several player reports, the process of funding Riot has not been successful if the benefits are not guaranteed. This means that Riot is currently facing backlash and forcing players to “dig deep into their pockets” in various ways. However, the methods Riot is currently implementing seem to be increasingly disconnected from the expectations of their player base.
