Brand getting a new skin? Awesome. Kass? Extremely cool. But Vi?

Canastus·Sep 30, 2015·3 votes·1,295 views

Didn't she already get TWO skins last year? Meanwhile others champions like for example are waiting up to 3 years now (some even longer!) for another skin to come out, what about them?

Especially the latest Ahri skin left a bad taste in my mouth since it's just another overly popular champion getting skins on an annual basis. Is there some bias behind those skin releases or how do you explain this kind of thing?

What about the perceived minority mains who still play this game?

22 Comments

insaiyanbaccaSep 30, 20152 votes

its just probably that the skin concept fit, as for ahri; ahri skins usually seem to sell very well with how popular she is

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

That's a terribly onesided business model in case they're really focusing on popular champions since those only make up a minority of the game's entire roster. What about those who are playing the other champions?

insaiyanbaccaSep 30, 20151 votes

at the same time ahri got a skin didnt vlad? and didnt yi zed fiora luc and leo get a skin recently? same with quinn aatrox and garen. all champs that haven't gotten a skin in a while. whats wrong with releasing skins for popular champions? and iirc this will be the first vi skin to actually give her new particles.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

Most of those champions received their last skin in 2014 already (Leona, Garen and Yi being the exception here with a timeframe bigger than that), they also happen to be quite popular champions in terms of pickrate with very few exceptions in that regard (Quinn and Aatrox). Apparently they're primarily targeting champions who are seeing play while the obscure ones continue to remain unloved.

That is NOT okay. At the pace they're going with those releases it'll take at least 2 more years until someone like Cass sees another skin. This needs to change.

insaiyanbaccaSep 30, 20151 votes

name on other champion besides cass that is considered "obscure" here is what i can list: taric(not getting any skin till vu and rework), poppy(same as taric), yorick(same here), warwick?(hes got a vu and rework coming at some point as well), urgot?(im pretty sure hes in line for a VU), galio?(i cant rly argue this one but he does have a decent amount of skins and a legendary plus i think there was something about his animation rig being terrible to work with iirc or was that rumble?), corki kinda but he still has a good amount of skins, shen maybe? tbh there isnt much u can do with shen atm and iirc hes also slated for a VU sometime soonish, i mean i can only see 2 legitimate arguments here and they are galio and zyra. also there was a 2 year gap between skt zed and project zed.

Lord AzırSep 30, 20152 votes

{quoted}

name on other champion besides cass that is considered "obscure" here is what i can list: taric(not getting any skin till vu and rework), poppy(same as taric), yorick(same here), warwick?(hes got a vu and rework coming at some point as well), urgot?(im pretty sure hes in line for a VU), galio?(i cant rly argue this one but he does have a decent amount of skins and a legendary plus i think there was something about his animation rig being terrible to work with iirc or was that rumble?), corki kinda but he still has a good amount of skins, shen maybe? tbh there isnt much u can do with shen atm and iirc hes also slated for a VU sometime soonish, i mean i can only see 2 legitimate arguments here and they are galio and zyra. also there was a 2 year gap between skt zed and project zed.

Tristana last skin was in 2012. She has been a constant pick in the bot lane through every season. Kennen last skin was actually in 2011, almost 4 years ago. Diana last skin was the very start of 2014 just about 2 years ago. Azir released over a year ago still only has his release skin while champions like Gnar Ekko RekSai Braum Kalista that came out either right before he did or after, already have their 3rd. Even Bard has a chroma out already.

TurtleStacksSep 30, 20151 votes

{quoted}

That's a terribly onesided business model in case they're really focusing on popular champions since those only make up a minority of the game's entire roster. What about those who are playing the other champions?

Its riot. If that wasn't nuff said then let me break it down. Their game is free. People need to get paid and the ones on top just want more money to throw into the pile. You know what sells? Ahri skins. Not yorick skins.

HelcaraxëSep 30, 20151 votes

Well, Riot releases skins based on how well they think the fans will pay money to get them, not on who has the most skins. If the community shows enough interest/desperation for a certain champ skin, they will release one. Sadly, that's how it works. (Examples, Brand, Zac, etc.)

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

That's really messed up. Don't they realize that they're feeding into a vicious circle with this?

How should any of the obscure champions gain attention if they don't make the first move?

HelcaraxëSep 30, 20151 votes

Yeah, its messed up for the fans. However, Riot does a really good job in my opinion making it's fans feel good in other ways, unlike a lot of game companies.

However, if Riot keeps making boatloads of money just releasing skins as they are, they have no reason to stop. (Don't fix it if it aint broke). It's very sad, I agree, but a fact of the corporate world.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

I don't see how Riot could be considered a better company than Blizzard or Valve, infact they're a lot worse with their lack of features/gamemodes and the blatant neglection of various reworks like the Cassiopeia one.

They basically pick a random champion to utterly destroy just to leave him/her in the gutter for the rest of the time. They don't even have the decency to compensate us with a skin after all this. And don't get me started on their messed up balancing philosophy.

TrylobyteSep 30, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I don't see how Riot could be considered a better company than Blizzard or Valve, infact they're a lot worse with their lack of features/gamemodes and the blatant neglection of various reworks like the Cassiopeia one.

They basically pick a random champion to utterly destroy just to leave him/her in the gutter for the rest of time. They don't even have the decency to compensate us with a skin after all this. And don't get me started on their messed up balancing philosophy.

This thread isn't really about skins, is it...

Fact is, Riot doesn't have a timetable that tells them they need to release X skins for Y champions. Some champions are hard to design skins for while others are simply bereft of good ideas. Kennen, for example. What sort of skin would you make for him that isn't just a recolor but doesn't involve completely redoing his model? Others have a lot of ideas and are very easy to work on (Riot specifically mentioned Teemo) or are very popular and get lots of fan suggestions (Ahri has had two player concepts made into skins, Popstar and Academy). This means they're naturally going to get more skins.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

Let me ask you this: can you deny anything I've said so far, especially about the reworks?

I wouldn't mind seeing a Pikachu parody on Kennen just like they did for Rammus with the Bowser/Koopa skin. Also even if you think there'd be a problem in the idea-department, you'd only have to take a look at the very board we're in right now.

Fans come up with countless of amazing skin concepts for all kinds of champions and Riot has yet to realize any of them.

TrylobyteSep 30, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Let me ask you this: can you deny anything I've said so far, especially about the reworks?

I wouldn't mind seeing a Pikachu parody on Kennen just like they did for Rammus with the Bowser/Koopa skin. Also even if you think there'd be a problem in the idea-department, you'd only have to take a look at the very board we're in right now.

Fans come up with countless of amazing skin concepts for all kinds of champions and Riot has yet to realize any of them.

Let me just stop you right there before I say anything else...

Surprise Party Fiddlesticks Ice Drake Shyvana Popstar Ahri Academy Ahri Battle Bunny Riven Void Fizz Star Guardian Lux Every Pool Party Skin Ever

These are all skins that came from player concepts, and they're just the ones I remember right now. And that's not counting the odd times the players requested a champion and got it (the 'female tank' craze was answered by Leona, the 'support Yordle' cries gave us Lulu, and the much-loved 'super-manly support' Angus the Puncher eventually turned into Braum).

Now then. Pika Kennen would have a few issues. One would be, as I said, the model doesn't support it. The other one would be copyright. King Rammus, the riff on Bowser, has two things going for it - It's not for sale, and it never was for sale (it was given away for alpha testers if I remember). Riot wasn't trying to make money off someone else's copyright. Selling a Pikachu-esque skin would probably get them in trouble with someone's lawyers. As for other skin ideas, he has very few (most are threads complaining he doesn't have one) and none of the ones I found have any real enthusiasm or momentum behind them.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

Parodies aren't copyright infringement, stuff like the PROJECT skins (especially the Yasuo one) are a clear reference to the Metal Gear Rising game. There would be no problem making up a lightning rodent design for Kennen as long as it isn't a blatant 1:1 copy. People still would get the reference and that's all what matters.

Also have you realized yet how almost every single one of those champions you just listed can be considered "popular" with the only exception being Fiddlesticks nowadays? Why aren't they picking up on any of the several Cass, Urgot, Yorick or Taric skin concepts out there?

They'd rather make skins for champions who make the most money for them which is undeniably an awful attitude from a moral standpoint. And it's just another middlefinger to players like me.

HelcaraxëOct 3, 20151 votes

Well, idk about Blizzard, but Valve just sits on it's steam butt and does nothing. WE WANT HALF LIFE THREE GOSH DANGIT!!!

StellafreyjaSep 30, 20151 votes

Vi got Debonair last year and Officer Vi the year before.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

Both Officer and Debonair skins were released in 2014 according to lolking. And even if it weren't the case it's just another example of a popular champion receiving skins on an annual basis whereas others remain downright neglected.

Baseball3bSep 30, 20151 votes

I take it you're a glass half empty kind of guy.

Yes, she has a lot if skins. But the concept fit her extremely well. It's obviously going to sell well. Meanwhile two Champs are going to get their first new skin in years.

I really don't see the problem.

CanastusSep 30, 20151 votes

I see a distinct pattern in their skin releases which heavily focuses on popular and often played champions whereas the lesser known ones have to wait for god knows how long until they get something. Kassadin is the only obscure champion in that skin rotation so far.

If they keep this ratio up, it'll take an eternity until those lesser known champions finally end up on the PBE.

Baseball3bSep 30, 20151 votes

It's pretty obvious they do that though. They're a company, their goal is to make money. It's good business sense.

And the second part of your statement is false. Brand's last skin (Zombie Brand I believe) was released in 2012. Like I said; TWO fairly unpopular (skin wise) champions are getting new skins.