"Riot = EA" "Riot... please..." "Riot: Our Last Straw"

Podge·Aug 8, 2015·22 votes·1,860 views

EDIT: This isn't a troll thread about hating on Riot, its a conversation about Riot and the relationship with its players.

Right now (as I'm sure most of you know) not everyone is happy with Riot and their decisions and (i use this term loosely) "excuses" that they have been making and have been using in regards to this whole "Sandbox Mode" hooblah.

Let me just preface by saying, I am usually quick to come to the defense of Riot. I love their art and think they are a pretty cool company. But, (and I can't stress this enough) I am coming from a place of pure honesty, not "blinded fanboying." Because I think a part of this problem is between the League community and how WE react and Riot Games and how THEY act.

I was talking with one of colleagues about this whole Riot "Sandbox" debacle, and I told them it spawned from this article they made about "wanting to be transparent," where he immediately stopped me and said, "Theres the problem." (We'll touch on this later.)

Do I think what is happening right now with all of the "sandbox" drama is OK? No, I don't. I think that Riot needs to shift priorities and listen to the players and cater to us. Because there is literally no reason that Sandbox shouldn't exist.

But, when its all said and done. Riot is a good company that tries their best, but being a "player focused" company is something that is really fucking hard to do. So many mistakes are going to be made, and I wish it wasn't like that but goddamn guys, Riot is one of the best companies out there, or at least, one of the most vocal and engaged companies in the industry. Arguments could be made (and they in no way would be wrong) that companies like Valve and Blizzard do a better job, but at the same time, how many Valve employees do you know by name or how many blizzard employees do you follow on twitter.

What sets Riot apart and makes them unique is their wanting to keep us in the loop and doing things for us (even tho sometimes its VERY misguided... RIP ). But, like right now, wanting to be so open with us is being a problem. Because we see these companies and hold these companies to a very high standard. We expect Valve and Blizzard to make amazing games (with overpriced content... Blizzard...) as we should, and these companies DO this. But they in no way let us see into what makes them tick, so as far as we're concerned all they do is quietly sit down and work on their stuff and have meetings and nothing ever goes wrong.

But Riot shows us the nitty gritty, and most times we don't really like what we see. Its like a really attractive lady (or dude, I don't discriminate), we think they are so pretty and cosmetically beautiful, they even have a great personality about them and they are just SO fun! But, once they rip open their ribcage and show us what their heart looks like, or how their organs work... We might not really be so into anymore. And thats what my Colleague was talking about. He thinks this idea of a company that is so involved with its community, to the point where they try to regularly engage the community on pressing matters and itinerary WITHIN the company, only spells out disaster. Maybe it does, but maybe we should be a better community and ask for things nicer.

I don't think Riot is perfect and I wouldn't even call them the best company in the world. But, I think we need to cut them A LITTLE BIT of slack. Not a lot, because we gotta keep them on their toes. But overall, I think we gotta be more constructive and I guess helpful with out feedback, and not flip our fucking lids every time something happens.

I mean, thats just my 2 cents. You can call me a "Stupid fanboy" or you can say that "You're the reason Riot stays afloat and doesn't think we're mad" Sure, but like, just know that I want the same thing you do, I'm just expressing it differently.

Sincerely,

a Really concerned guy who just wants to go to sleep (or, ya boi Obokuri )

26 Comments

sakudaAug 8, 201512 votes

Let the anti-circlejerk circlejerk BEGIN.

idokiAug 8, 20152 votes

This is not your average circlejerk... . . . . This is advanced circlejerk

TotalJerkAug 8, 201512 votes

Riot isn't remotely comparable to EA. EA only cares about money. While Riot will specifically make financially detrimental decisions just because they are passionate about this game. This passion often manifests itself as severe stubbornness, and when they are confident something they are doing is the right decision, it's extremely hard to reason with them.

How much money do you guys think updating Summoner's Rift and Sion made them?

LaceUp23Aug 8, 20151 votes

Well, having a better looking game is certainly going to attract more people to playing it. So I would say that it actually did help them out. Sion is a much cooler champ, meaning more people are likely to buy him. So I would say that actually helped them out as well. Hence why champs are always stupid OP on release.

TotalJerkAug 8, 20153 votes

Sion was an ancient and cheap champion that a lot of people already owned. They could've easily said "Fuck Sion" and devoted the resources used on him for a full-priced release. I'm not trying to say Rito is for the players, but their motivations aren't ever as simple as "money". I'd even say at this point that Riot is at a stage where how much shit costs barely even comes up in meetings.

PodgeAug 8, 20152 votes

And this is my point, Riot may have expensive skins a stuff, but they do things with us in mind. They have a free to play model and dont force you into buying things you dont want to buy.

TotalJerkAug 8, 20152 votes

Funny thing is, no one asked for the new Sion. I personally doubt they did it for the players, but for themselves. You can clearly tell when Riot talks about League that they're diehard fans of their own game which is both a blessing and a curse. Being a hardcore player of your own game creates bias, and their decisions show that bias.

PodgeAug 8, 20151 votes

This is very true, I actually have to agree with this. I feel like we liked the sion rework, even though some are sad about ahnulds leave. But buy and large, they do do a lot of things for themselves.

PL55Aug 8, 20157 votes

Riot is nothing like EA for whoever says that, EA will just do whatever they can to get money while having servers that are much worse than riot's. Also their matchmaking is absolutely terrible in their sports games matching you with teams that should totally destroy you. Riot cares more about their players more in their free to play game than in most EA paid games.

TurquoiseYoshiAug 8, 20152 votes

Don't forget that EA requires you to have an EA account in most games as well as whatever paid online service the console has.

LaceUp23Aug 8, 20152 votes

Says rito = EA in title, makes no reference to how EA is like rito.

The LovelessAug 8, 20153 votes

I think he was quoting what other people say a it Riot.

LaceUp23Aug 8, 20151 votes

I've never seen anyone make that comparison. Also, he could have easily put, "people compare EA to rito because ___." My statement still holds true.

IS1a442cd69a169ed293a39Aug 8, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I've never seen anyone make that comparison. Also, he could have easily put, "people compare EA to rito because ___." My statement still holds true.

Yes, it holds true. You can leave.

YatsufusåAug 9, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Says rito = EA in title, makes no reference to how EA is like rito.

Reading the quotation marks is hard. Realizing that someone is quoting is hard. Reading is hard. Life is hard.

LaceUp23Aug 9, 20151 votes

So if I published a scientific journal article with a title, "New enzyme found to slow the rate of cancer by 65%" and then went on to talk nothing about that, it would be all good?

YatsufusåAug 10, 20151 votes

{quoted}

So if I published a scientific journal article with a title, "New enzyme found to slow the rate of cancer by 65%" and then went on to talk nothing about that, it would be all good?

Realizing that someone is quoting is hard.

F03Aug 8, 20152 votes

{quoted} I am usually quick to come to the defense of Riot.

don't worry most people know a riot kiss ass when they see one.

TurquoiseYoshiAug 8, 20154 votes

And most people know a troll when they see one.

BastionKrossAug 8, 20152 votes

Riot is actually a pretty cool company that tries to please it's players.

It's just that Riot also has this personality flaw that if they're doing something wrong they need to be told, and told repeatedly, that what they are doing is wrong or else they'll continue to do it. It's like babysitting a child that keeps trying to put it's hand in the cookie jar. You slap the hand away and tell it no, and a couple seconds later it's reaching for that cookie jar again, despite you both making eye contact the entire time. You have to be stern with Riot when it screws up, or it won't learn from it's mistakes.

That is a lesson we as players learned in the past. Cassiopeia Skarner Sona Evelynn Yorick Veigar

LuggAug 8, 20152 votes

Riot does a pretty good job in all areas except Balance. A perfect example was the latest "nerf" to Nidalee's spear. That was like putting a bandaid on a shotgun wound. It accomplished nothing to fix the problem. It's things like that causing them to lose credibility and players. I can list TONS of similar things they have done that do nothing to fix the problems with champions.

League is a great game, but the Balance team is reaching levels of ineptitude that are amazing.

Doctor DymentAug 8, 20151 votes

It did piss off some Nidalee mains, which is almost enough for me to be happy with.

CaptainTatertitsAug 8, 20152 votes

[deleted]

Icestar1186Aug 9, 20151 votes

You have got to be kidding me. Unless it's an unintelligible rage thread, you ALWAYS read before downvoting. This thread is well-written and deserves more than "I don't like the title. Downvote."

SmokedAlmondsAug 8, 20151 votes

I do mostly agree with you. Especially with the size and diversity of the playerbase. There are just too many people with too many different wants and needs. Every single thing they do or don't do is going to cause some amount of people to be upset. Like the sandbox mode for example. I do want it personally, although I seriously doubt I would use it frequently. But most of the players are extremely casual and are either never going to use it or just being using it for random stuff like "I wonder what it would like to be ramus with 5 phantom dancers" and just goof off stuff. I think most people never use it beyond seeing what it is. But people who want sandbox mode want it bad and people who are unhappy are always going to be posting more. I have no idea what % of the population wants(and I mean really wants, not just to goof off with stupid things a couple times) sandbox mode but id bet that its very small.