Screw Tencent

KaianVestra·Nov 18, 2015·9 votes·1,443 views

Seriously. Just screw 'em. If you ever wondered why many times Riot has catered to pros and used its resources to make more money rather than making the game a better place and more enjoyable game for the majority playerbase; Tencent.

22 Comments

SimplicateNov 18, 20154 votes

I'd like some sources for your wild claims.

SEKAINov 18, 20152 votes

Tencent bought out Riot literally around 1 year or so after the release of LoL in early Feb 2011. The current state of LoL would only have Riot to blame, Tencent has nothing to do with this.

ToasteyNov 18, 20152 votes

"Tencent bought out Riot" "Tencent isn't responsible for anything that happened after the buyout"

?????? What world do you live in

SEKAINov 18, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Toasted Pigeon,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=GJyYEnA1,comment-id=00000000,timestamp=2015-11-18T12:25:31.210+0000)

"Tencent bought out Riot" "Tencent isn't responsible for anything that happened after the buyout"

?????? What world do you live in

Do you have trouble with Riot during the period from 2011 to now?

If no (or not that much), then who do you think is responsible for the current state of LoL?

ToasteyNov 18, 20153 votes

Buddy, I've had issues with Riot for the entire 5 and a half years I've been playing. Sit down.

SEKAINov 18, 20153 votes

[{quoted}](name=Toasted Pigeon,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=GJyYEnA1,comment-id=0000000000000000,timestamp=2015-11-18T12:39:00.039+0000)

Buddy, I've had issues with Riot for the entire 5 and a half years I've been playing. Sit down.

I like how you automatically assume I'm a newbie. While I may not have 5 and a half years under my belt, I have almost 5 years too.

Not to mention, I can't understand why after 5 and half years of your issues with Riot, you're still here for some godly reason. I mean I can relate if it's 1 or 2 years (I have had issue with Riot ever since late mid S3 too), but hating on a game/dev ever since their foundation and somehow still continues playing for 5 and half years, is just too silly of a story that I can't swallow down.

I guess there are just not a single better game out there, and you have nothing to play besides this game you've had issues with ever since it was first launched? Wat.

Anyway it's just how it is, everything Riot has done has had connection with Tencent. Riot was partially founded by them, and later bought out to be under them.

Riot has always been Tencent's leg ever since the beginning, so what's with the crowd acting like it's somehow Tencent's fault that the game balance is now a hilarious mess? I just can't see the logic.

kJsNov 18, 20151 votes

It could have just been a change of policy and priorities between pre S3 and now, preseason 6.

BiffoloNov 18, 20151 votes

To be fair, the entire gaming industry is garbage for the most part. So just because he has problems with riot, doesn't mean he has no problems with other companies.

ToasteyNov 18, 20151 votes

I'm still here because of the potential of the game. This game has wonderful potential, both on the gameplay side and on the esports side, but a lot of misguided policies hold it back. If you think just getting up and walking away when you have issues is the answer, I pray for your interpersonal relationships in the future.

SEKAINov 19, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Toasted Pigeon,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=GJyYEnA1,comment-id=000000000000000000000002,timestamp=2015-11-18T21:35:26.327+0000)

I'm still here because of the potential of the game. This game has wonderful potential, both on the gameplay side and on the esports side, but a lot of misguided policies hold it back. If you think just getting up and walking away when you have issues is the answer, I pray for your interpersonal relationships in the future.

I form interpersonal relationships with the people I run into in games, but I don't for relationships with the game itself. When I see bad video games, I will not stay and keep playing it for 5 and half years while hating almost every second of it (I would understand if you used to love the game so you stayed after you start having issues with it, but if you don't really like it in the first place? Nah man), buying/playing games is not the same as a marriage contract you know.

ToasteyNov 19, 20151 votes

I very much enjoy a lot of the game. Always have and still do, but I've been nitpicking Riot for five years on the things they could be doing better. That sounds reasonable, no?

SEKAINov 19, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Toasted Pigeon,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=GJyYEnA1,comment-id=00000000000000000000000200000000,timestamp=2015-11-19T02:40:30.407+0000)

I very much enjoy a lot of the game. Always have and still do, but I've been nitpicking Riot for five years on the things they could be doing better. That sounds reasonable, no?

I suppose.

ToasteyNov 18, 20152 votes

For any new players present, or any players who don't care much about the business side of things, Tencent Holdings a Chinese telecommunications company that holds something like a 97% share of Riot Games' stock. Business decisions are undoubtedly directed by or made in conjunction with some Board of Directors™ full of Tencent staff, and Riot Games isn't much more than a creative shell at this point.

Fun fact: both founding members of Riot had backgrounds and careers in business and knew nothing about game development. I'm sure they've hired some vaguely qualified people, but the standards of workflow and quality of employee are likely heavily influenced by the first few hires, such as Guinsoo (DotA All-stars dev) and Ghostcrawler (the guy infamously responsible for Flavour of the Month buffs and nerfs in WoW---and the guy who also had no background in game development or even creative arts prior to his work on the Balance Team™ of Wow).

SEKAINov 18, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Toasted Pigeon,realm=NA,application-id=cIfEodbz,discussion-id=GJyYEnA1,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2015-11-18T12:24:27.067+0000)

For any new players present, or any players who don't care much about the business side of things, Tencent Holdings a Chinese telecommunications company that holds something like a 97% share of Riot Games' stock. Business decisions are undoubtedly directed by or made in conjunction with some Board of Directors™ full of Tencent staff, and Riot Games isn't much more than a creative shell at this point.

The number is 92.78%, according to wikipedia.

Riot was bought out more than 50% of Riot ever since Feb 2011, so no need to act like Tencent having control over Riot is really something new. Riot is the only one responsible for the current state of LoL, Tencent arguably has nothing to do with this.

KaianVestraNov 18, 20151 votes

Tencent controls their budget. You're crazy if you think they have no influence when they actually have all the influence.

SEKAINov 18, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Tencent controls their budget. You're crazy if you think they have no influence when they actually have all the influence.

And they have controlled Riot for over 4 years already (marching into their 5th year anniversary as we speak), it's really nothing new. So what's the point of this finger-pointing exercise?

If they really wanna ruin Riot, they'd have already done so ages ago. The only one tripping today is Riot here, no one is to be blamed for that.

KaianVestraNov 18, 20151 votes

The one who controls the money dictates how it gets spent. Why would they want to try and ruin Riot? It's an investment. Looking at the game with $$ on the eyes. Business decisions. Monetization. That's just how money and business works. Some decisions were good. Then it became a professionally competitive game, and that's $$, so now game development is taking a new direction. Who controls the $$? Lots of things can happen in 4 years, good and bad. The POINT is to have a voice. Call a MF'er out instead of taking a beating laying down. That's the point of my "exercise".

SEKAINov 18, 20151 votes

{quoted}

The one who controls the money dictates how it gets spent. Why would they want to try and ruin Riot? It's an investment. Looking at the game with $$ on the eyes. Business decisions. Monetization. That's just how money and business works. Some decisions were good. Then it became a professionally competitive game, and that's $$, so now game development is taking a new direction. Who controls the $$? Lots of things can happen in 4 years, good and bad. The POINT is to have a voice. Call a MF'er out instead of taking a beating laying down. That's the point of my "exercise".

Let's be clear about 1 thing, Riot was never outside of the realm of Tencent in the first place.

Riot was founded (partially) and sustained by Tencent ever since the beginning.

Riot is Tencent, and Tencent has always been Riot.

That's why I think calling Tencent on this one exclusively is pretty foolish, because if you really were to blame everything wrong atm onto them, at least praise and give them the credit for making LoL a game of your liking in the past previous years while you're at it too.

Riot was not forced to turn an 180 degree by their parent company leading to today's trouble, the problem stems from their policy in the first place. If they had not promoted E-sport as much as they did, balance the game around mid-tier elo or making design/balance decisions in order to cater low elos specifically, things would have never turned out this way. That's why I said it really has nothing to do with Tencent as a whole.

KaianVestraNov 18, 20151 votes

Don't think I said riot was innocent or not. I'm just following the paper trail. I believe they have some constraints. I'm sure most people never heard of Tencent. So I posted about it.

The past is good and dandy, but I'm not sure how the past affects current situations or why I should have to praise them when that wasn't why I wanted to post. Maybe you're just trying to make a point like they weren't always bad, in case I didn't already know? Which I mean, sure I guess. There's been good decisions over the years, as I've said, but the past year or 2 they've been overwhelmingly bad.

There's been a huge shift in what riot values. What they value, above all else it seems, is LCS and $$. For riot, $$=Tencent. Investment holding companies are literally incapable of caring about what's being done to make a game better, only that it is reliably generating $$. If it's not making $$ or at risk of not making $$, well then that investment company is just going to keep holding onto their money bag.

I've seen what happens to smaller gaming companies when they get bought out. The change isn't always immediate, it really could take actual years before people start noticing. That could explain why LoL was good for a couple years. There's always that attempt to make face with their employees and the community "but they'll still have creative freedom". Things change. It's rarely otherwise. I'm just waiting to see how microsoft turns minecraft into a money making machine. These things are just inevitable. Only very slightly relevant, but still felt like mentioning it. I do what I want.

I hope I'm not sounding too aggressive, just standing by my thoughts on it. Although I'm at this point basically just repeating myself now so I'll be quiet :x

*Bunch of edits.

qetzelNov 18, 20151 votes

I know that in 2013 they weren't making a profit from eSports. 2 years can cause a change, but I doubt it. While the viewership has gone up since then, so has the cost of running the events.