@RIOT, please don't ask us for opinions on "rewarding long-term players" again.

RIOT has, in the past couple years, expressed they wanted new ways to "reward longtime players" and "give old players something to do with their IP".

Welp, you had a great opportunity and you completely blew it.

For ages people have asked for a system like the current Mastery system (albeit, a significantly more "long-term" version than the current iteration), and have asked for IP-Bought or Champion Dedication-unlocked recolors (or even full skins) for champions.

RIOT decides to throw up some recolors, and adamantly decides they're going to be RP purchases. Fine, that's your guys' call. Make us have to buy 'em.

But don't ask us what we want to see next time. The request for "veteran player rewards" is a very old one, you guys had a golden opportunity, and opted to waste it. I'm not knocking the art team's talent, they do some really amazing work, but the recolors should not have been rp purchases. There've been several people on the forums recently who have shown that recoloring a skin doesn't take nearly as much as we're being told, and that's why many people in the past have requested recolored skins as a reward for veteran players.

I'm not saying RIOT doesn't deserve to make money. I'm not saying what the artists do isn't worth money. I'm saying the community has, in the past, voiced significant sentiment toward IP-bought or Unlockable recolors specifically as a reward for veteran players, and many times in response to being asked by RIOT what they want to see, and RIOT was not listening apparently.

So, speaking for myself personally, I'd prefer it if RIOT just stayed away from the topic of rewarding veteran players. This recolors decision feels like a giant middle finger and a wasted chance. Maybe you guys will one day do something about making veteran players feel as important to RIOT as new ones, but frankly it doesn't look that way. Honor system is still completely irrelevant, the free RP giveaways of years past are completely gone, the Mastery system allows a player to reach max rank with a champion in not-nearly-enough games, and now recolored skins are going to cost RP. You guys don't actually have an interest in rewarding dedication, it's not terribly cool to pop up once a year or so and talk like you do.