State of Riot (my view)

I'm going to get verbally crucified for this, but here goes:

I have started playing League since the end of 2012 (lol I remember spending the apocalypse playing it. Good times). Back then, the game and the company behind it seemed cool. It wouldn't say it was a casual game, but it seemed like the game itself was about having fun while being competitive at the same time. Riot? They had summoner showcases every week. They made songs for Vi and Jinx. They put love and care into the game in every way they could.

Five years later, here we are. Now it's a hassle to unlock champions, because the new lootbox and leveling system makes it where if you don't level up after this game, you won't have Jack shit to show for the game (versus the IP, where you never leave a game empty handed provided you played through it). The lootboxes do not even give you anything. They just give you discounts on champions you can't pay for, so you have to exchange them for half the price you would have paid for the discounted champion. This makes it so if you want a particular champion, you need to level up five or ten times, unless you are lucky enough to get the shard needed to get the discount. Don't want to wait that long? Get your wallet out and cough up.

Champion balance is another issue I have a problem with. In Riot's defense, there is no way to "perfectly balance" every last champion, especially since there are like 200 of them. That said, it is clear that they aren't putting the effort needed into doing it properly. Zoe has been needing nerfs for a long time, and you can bet that it will be a long time more before we see any. Fizz, has a built in hourglass in his kit, acts like a dash, and upon ending, deals magic damage and slows. That's the kind of thing I'd like to see if I were playing doombots, not PvP. Swain? Well, let's just say Riot got a bit excited with him.

I bet you're wondering where I'm going with this. The answer is simple: Riot wants you to pull out your wallet and buy RP. What better way to do that than to release hilariously broken champions? The player will want it to boost their rank, and might just resort to spending real money to get their hands on it (and get pissed with said champion being banned 90% of the time). Sometimes they release a champion that feels underpowered, but I'm convinced it's to make sure that we don't catch on to this tactic. If you want proof, they held their professional games last year on a different version. Xayah and Rakan were brand new, but didn't exist on their private server (to be fair, the unfamiliarity with any new champion should be kept in mind in professional play).

I have been a player and fan of League for five years. Having seen a lot in those five years, I believe I have the grounds I need to make my declaration:

I think Riot is turning in EA.

They have stopped putting in the love they put in the game that they used to five years ago. They are not trying to bond with the players like they used to and get us excited for new content (no, Swain's trailer was 60 seconds of my life that I want back). They don't try to make the game fun anymore. They are trying to make the game rack in as much cash as they can.

Sure every company is in it for the money, but if they don't even care about the content they release, then it just breaks the heart. I love playing games people put their soul into, and that's why I started league. Riot, if you're reading this, try to make me stay.

Edit: it is 5:38 AM. What the hell am I doing with my life?

Another edit, this time at 11:30: GLurch has made his point and defeated me successfully.