Why is Riot concerned with new players?

Bay B·Apr 26, 2018·3 votes·981 views

League of Legends is an old game, it peeked a few years ago and has been dwindling since. With that in mind, why on Earth is Riot concerned about new player experiences ??? If anything Riots primary focus should be RETAINING its current player-base, and rebuilding it from there.

League used to pull in new players super easily, then Riot flipped the game on it's head and are now trying to figure new ways to pull in players??? The old method was totally fine/successful and is the reason League blew up the way it did.

Even if you net some new players, they will inevitably become old players and you'll be back at square 1 trying to retain your player base. Create a sustainable game THEN open the gates to new players.

7 Comments

DollaMenunaireApr 26, 20182 votes

Just because it's on the downcurve doesn't mean

a) The new player experience isn't truly terrible b) They should just 100% neglect point a.

Bay BApr 26, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Just because it's on the downcurve doesn't mean

a) The new player experience isn't truly terrible b) They should just 100% neglect point a.

Understand my point that these new players, once they become experienced players, will be running into the same issues that are causing already experienced players to leave. So why go for new players when the problem is with experienced players? Which every new players will inevitably become unless they quit before then.

DollaMenunaireApr 26, 20181 votes

[{quoted}](name=Bay B,realm=NA,application-id=yrc23zHg,discussion-id=24iIAnlm,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2018-04-26T18:19:38.398+0000)

Understand my point that these new players, once they become experienced players, will be running into the same issues that are causing already experienced players to leave. So why go for new players when the problem is with experienced players? Which every new players will inevitably become unless they quit before then.

Well the thing with experienced players is they (probably) already spent money on the game, so at least Rito go something out of the deal

redniwediSApr 26, 20182 votes

Most old players leave because they don't like changes that are happening. Their posts talk about the good old days, while ignoring the balance issues of the past. This isn't something Riot can fix, because the only person who can take off rose tinted glasses is the person wearing them.

As with any game that adapts and changes over time some players will be pushed away by new changes, and some will be pushed away when nothing changes. Riot does worry about this, they are not stupid, but it's not an issue that can just be fixed. The new player experience can be fixed, and can turn into something that isn't just a big, horrible meme.

You're assuming a season 1 player will leave the game for the same reason as a season 5 player, or a season 8 player when they fully learn the game. I don't think this assumption holds the weight you think it does.

ModJikkerApr 26, 20182 votes

Without new players, the game will die. Like with any business, you need to focus on keeping current customers happy while appealing to new ones to replace those that leave and grow the business as a whole.

If Riot is making a good experience for new players, they don't have to worry as much about the older players leaving/quitting because of changes.

Bay BApr 26, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Without new players, the game will die. Like with any business, you need to focus on keeping current customers happy while appealing to new ones to replace those that leave and grow the business as a whole.

If Riot is making a good experience for new players, they don't have to worry as much about the older players leaving/quitting because of changes.

'they don't have to worry as much about the older players leaving/quitting because of changes.'

What happens when those new players become older players? Will they also complain about a game that's constantly shifting from a shitty state to shittier state? At what point will Riot have to actually fix the fundamental problems only older players can identify?

oOBestEveNAOoApr 26, 20181 votes

Wait, a majority of people actually believe there isn't enough individual agency in game when its in the snowballiest state that it pretty much has ever been in?

People have trouble solo hard carrying and so they say "the worst player decides the match"?

What is this nonsense?

Sure, the presence of Autofill and a lack of use of individual skill metrics leads to some issues with playing in high level play, but this isn't a thing in lower levels, the skill gap just isn't wide enough in silver, gold, and plat for it to mean much.

But that's not the worst player deciding the match, that's just a poorly designed SYSTEM deciding the match and it should be resolved with the changes to individual position rank (good lord that's taken way to long to implement for being something so obvious that I pointed it out repeatedly for over 6 years).

I'm kinda worried about these statements regarding individual player agency because I've never felt I had more agency individually when I play a hard carry role and champ mid or jg... I fell like its hella easy to snowball out of control because I have almost too much agency...

Some of this talk from the video worries me greatly.