Let’s talk about our evolving approach to game modes and what that means for the future.
Riot HBBONG (Hannah Lee) shares collective thoughts and updates about the rotating game modes. While the original is pretty lengthy, we’re going to cut it down to the information regarding the state of the game mode and plans on bringing it back, putting aside the technical side of such a feat.
Ultimate Spellbook
Based on the success of the gamemode, Ultimate Spellbook will return as the last game mode of the year with ~20 new spells to choose! Hannah Lee also mentioned that you won’t have to choose between Flash and Smite for your summoner spell anymore, although they’re still exploring exactly how this will work. The new dragons coming in Preseason 2022 will also join the fun.
Other Modes in the Rotation
One For All, URF, and ARURF:
Urf and OFA are gamemode staples right now. The team heard that all these game modes have started to feel a bit stale, and they agree, so they are planning on adding some more modes to the rotation next year. That said, these modes are doing well and continue to have high engagement, so they’ll continue to pop up in the future.
Nexus Blitz:
Nexus Blitz is also a part of the current rotation, but the results from last year’s runs still put it behind URF, OFA, and Ultimate Spellbook. This doesn’t mean Nexus Blitz is retiring, but it would undergo some adjustments first.
Odyssey: Extraction and Star Guardian: Invasion (PvE):
Even though there are people out there that want to experience past PVE Modes Like Odyssey and Star Guardian events, the interest in the modes dries up really fast. The team has yet to come to a clear-cut solution in developing these, and for this reason, don’t have any current plans to bring these modes back.
Ascension, Black Market Brawlers, Dark Star: Singularity, Definitely Not Dominion, Legend of the Poro King, Nexus Siege, and PROJECT: OVERCHARGE:
Similar to the PVE modes, interest in these modes dries up once the novelty wears off, and after just a handful of matches, play hours start to really drop. Also, modes that have their own maps carry much higher upkeep costs (more on that later), so the decision ends up looking like “do more work to bring back a thing that players will play less (relative to URF, OFA, or Spellbook)” which isn’t particularly compelling. As of right now, the team doesn’t plan on bringing back these game modes.
Snowdown Showdown:
Snowdown Showdown didn’t have very high engagement, which heavily impacted matchmaking—it’d sometimes take over 10 minutes to get into a game, and then those games were pretty short. The mode lives on with esports tournaments, but the developers don’t have plans to re-release it otherwise.
Hunt of the Blood Moon, Hexakill, and Doom Bots of Doom:
These three modes are much closer fits to the team’s new mode direction—they’re centered around the core experience of League, and Hunt of the Blood Moon already plays in that chAmplification space (for assassins). So these three modes are candidates for a potential refresh in the future.
Nemesis Draft:
This is one mode that will definitely not return, ever. The premise of removing agency and sticking the player in a game with trolls goes against the gameplay values the team is trying to uphold today.
And last, although not rotation-related: ARAM players should keep their eyes peeled for some small quality-of-life improvements in the future!
If you want to read the full article, covering the Tech Conversation and Future possible game modes, please check the official article!
While you’re at it, check out our article about the controversial all chat removal.
