Dear Riot, can we please stop sharing a single splash across multiple skins.

yay nibbers··64 votes·14,314 views
8/5 PBE Update

I check Surr@20 to see the details of the new PBE update to see that you guys already have the splash out for the new Arcade skins, but I have to say I'm extremely disappointed. Except for the characters themselves (who are very well illustrated, well done there), the splash is extremely boring. There's nothing happening other than them posing. The background is a pattern over a purple gradient and nothing else, which is really lackluster after the amazing Arcade MF and Final Boss Veigar splash arts. Edit: I'd like to expand on the MF and Veigar example. Their splash arts actually have something happening in them. Veigar is descending upon the land on a tetris piece to destroy and conquer. Miss Fortune sits in a glorious arcade throne with Gangplank in the background glaring angrily at her. In comparison, this splash for Riven/Blitzcrank has them illustrated independently and thrown onto a seemingly unrelated background. Nothing is happening

The worst part of the splash is that it's one splash for two 1350 RP skins. You have two 1350 skins here, the least you could do is give them their own cool splash arts. This is becoming an alarmingly common occurrence among your recent skins. I get it with the cheaper 750 skins where they're nothing THAT fancy, but you have two much more expensive skins here. People pay the extra money for skins like this because of all the effort gone into them and how nice they look because of the effort. The splash art seems like a small part of a skin, but it's still a lot to cheap out on, especially when you're paying $15 for it.

TL;DR: The splash for the two new arcade skins is really disappointing especially considering it's "the splash" and not "the splash_es_"

Not to mention Blitzcrank's claw is on the wrong side in his own version of the splash (pictured above)

Edit: A couple people pointed out that it looks like a fighting game loading screen, sans the "VS." It really needs a "VS" if that's the case to make it a bit more exciting. The shared splash is still a really lame trend though and I'd still like to see separate splash arts for these skins as they don't really fit together other than being thematic enemies (which should be reflected in the splash if they must be together. They could be doing battle or something rather than simply posing à la fighting game loading screen.

62 Comments

Vistha Kai26 votes

Honestly? This looks like the VERSUS screen from fighter games, so in this case it at least makes sense.

Don't get the wrong idea here. I hate shared splash arts. Especially ones in which they cram like 10 champions - Guardians of the Sands for example.

yay nibbers2 votes

Now that you mention it, I totally see it. It could at least have a big "VS" in the middle then as it's still rather plain.

Neamean19 votes
yay nibbers7 votes

Just saw that too. Looks at lot better for something someone just tacked on there. I could live with something like that. Shared splashes are still a really lame trend though.

Soul Cairn2 votes

It looks a bit off to me, since it doesn't really match with the colours, and it feels like it was an accident that it was placed there, I think that they SHOULD make a "Vs." in it, but then in the style of Rito, which would match the rest of the splash and makes it feel more like a loading screen instead of a museum.

Ahri Vladimir Ekko Darius

Solari Fortune2 votes

I found this

Krigjer9 votes

I have to agree. I completely understand shared splashes for cheaper skins (I'm actually looking forward to the Academy shared splash page. Classroom shenanigans please)

But for TWO 1350 skins, what with how each one has different VFX, I do expect a splash art for each one. Not shared.

Not Katarina1 votes

I just remembered how exciting the Academy shared splash is going to be!

Samflash31 votes

Or at least say Riven at the bottom of a cliff fighting robots with Blitzcrank's maniac stare on top of a cliff

Not Katarina7 votes

Agreed. I don't mind it with skins such as the Pool Party line, because it's well... a party. But these two have nothing to do with each other. Put Final Boss Veigar as an easter egg in Blitz's splash. Add something pertaining to the Arcade skin line [MF? Hecarim?] or Riven's lore [Yasuo?] in her own splash. These are expensive skins, and while the characters are done super well, they... just don't belong there. Compare this to the Arcade MF or Arcade Hecarim skins and it feels lacklustre. Which is a bummer for such a nicely done pair of skins. It really sells them short.

Soul Cairn2 votes

I thought of that idea too, but they've already made the splash arts, so I think that they should just edit the current one. It's a nice idea to have two separate splash arts, which would be better for this, but since they're together now, I think that the only way to make it better is to add a "VS." between them. So that it looks less like a comic-con photo, or two museum statues, but more like a loading screen from a fighter game. [Like "Mortal Kombat" or "Tekken"].

Not Katarina4 votes

I saw the VS edit, and for something so minuscule it gives them a setting and a reason to be there - they aren't just floating in space and I really like it!

Banchunba 016 votes

i honestly don't see the problem......i think sharing a splash art is kinda cool.You could have 2 champs fighting on 1 splash art.

Abyssphere3 votes

{quoted}

i honestly don't see the problem......i think sharing a splash art is kinda cool.You could have 2 champs fighting on 1 splash art.

But they never are. They're always just randomly standing beside each other. There's never anything going on in shared splashes - look at the playing cards splash, the Guardian of the Sands splash, this splash... The only one that was done well was the Pool Party splash.

ModAcademy Kayn2 votes

Well there were the prehistoric skins fighting each other.

Abyssphere2 votes

{quoted}

Well there were the prehistoric skins fighting each other.

True, but in that one I felt like Anivia was just shoved in. Renekton and Cho were fighting but all they could think of for Anivia was just having her flying in the background.

Legacy of Xion5 votes

Getting real sick of this shit. Seriously.

Arcade Riven is one the third highest skin tier, second if you don't include ultimate skins. Seriously.

I'm sick of 1350 skins getting shared splash arts. It's insulting.

Vera3 votes

Agreed.

I absolutely despise this trend and I actually skip out on purchasing skins I would otherwise get because of it - Quinn and Lulu's most recent, for example.

Splash art is important to me when considering a purchase, yes, but sharing the art also just smacks of laziness on Riot's part.

I won't support that.

Noctius282 votes

Granted this one is kinda weak (and I'm pretty sure it's mirrored since both the claw and Riven Sword hand are wrong) But Shared splashes have been awesome lately Look at the cards one, amazing royal card theme family, it gives a sense of unity Same with pirate graves and TF

Now yeah this not only is wrong (mirrored) but it's lack luster in general, making the character a bit smaller and adding the fighting game HUD would make it awesome I imagine

But Shared splashes in general are not a bad thing This particular one is just boring and without a unity feel

yay nibbers1 votes

This one in my post is indeed mirrored (it's the one used for Blitzcrank's skin so he gets the very noticable claw on the wrong hand, Riven's is not mirrored). I agree that shared splashed can be cool and some of them are. I don't believe that these two belong in the same splash however as while they are both quite video gamey, they otherwise do not fit together. Not to mention that ALL of the other Arcade skins have their own splash arts with cool things going on in them. Especially with FInal Boss Veigar standing on what I assume is a tetris piece while he descends upon the world to conquer it, and Arcade Miss Fortune in a big fancy chair sporting her usual attitude with Gangplank chasing after her in the background. With this splash we have here, someone drew the characters then threw them onto a background. It's extremely boring compared to the other Arcade splashes and very disappointing considering the price of both skins.

Noctius281 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ron Pitts,realm=NA,application-id=A8FQeEA8,discussion-id=xZqgYe5w,comment-id=00100000,timestamp=2015-08-06T09:06:20.201+0000)

This one in my post is indeed mirrored (it's the one used for Blitzcrank's skin so he gets the very noticable claw on the wrong hand, Riven's is not mirrored). I agree that shared splashed can be cool and some of them are. I don't believe that these two belong in the same splash however as while they are both quite video gamey, they otherwise do not fit together. Not to mention that ALL of the other Arcade skins have their own splash arts with cool things going on in them. Especially with FInal Boss Veigar standing on what I assume is a tetris piece while he descends upon the world to conquer it, and Arcade Miss Fortune in a big fancy chair sporting her usual attitude with Gangplank chasing after her in the background. With this splash we have here, someone drew the characters then threw them onto a background. It's extremely boring compared to the other Arcade splashes and very disappointing considering the price of both skins.

Agreed

I mean they could belong in the same splash if this was a parody of a fighting game vs screen but for that it lack a couple of HUD elements, most noticeably the big VS in the middle

Old Man Teeto2 votes

No issue with it, I like most of them.

Pool Party one is amazing. Soccer one is fantastic. Playing Cards one reminds me of the Royal Flush gang.

The "Team" ones make sense as they're designed to honor the team as a whole. (Fnatic, SKT, TPA)

There's not too many others. With the only one that truly failed being Guardian of the Sands.

One specifically bad splash art does not make the concept of grouping champions together incorrect.

Puri Puri Taric2 votes

Fans<Money

Abyssphere2 votes

It really sucks to me because I find splash arts can give a skin so much personality. One of my favourite skins is Blood Moon Elise because the splash is just amazing, she looks really cool/creepy/scary there and it's amazing to play with that skin in game because of it. But if the Blood Moon Skins were released now? She'd randomly be standing in a room with Thresh, because why not.

Shared splashes are horrible. They destroy any possibility of the splash containing personality and they give the champion no room to breathe at all. If I want to buy Guardian of the Sands Skarner I want to see him in the splash, not three other champs with him randomly shoved in the corner just looking vaguely scary.

It's really lazy and I really hate it. There's no benefit to shared splashes at all outside of saving Riot time and money. I can't think of any shared splash that was better than individual ones would have been.

Auroramancer2 votes

This one honestly isn't as bad as the others, because this splash can nearly be divided by a vertical line and have the two represented well.

The other shared splashes usually have champions stacked on each other in some way.

This one isn't so bad, no need to complain about it.

DrCyanide1 votes

Yeah... The two don't look like they belong in the same splash art. Maybe if they were fighting each other, but both trying to pose for the camera doesn't look right.

Jeddy0173 votes

Well,it does look like a loading screen from a fighting game though without the all important glue known as "VS".

DrCyanide2 votes

That's it! That would make it awesome!

Annapii1 votes

I don't mind shared splashes. Its cool when they can show a connection or tell a story. My favorites are the Pentakill and the most recent April Fool's day splashes. It makes more sense to depict Pentakill together as a band. And I love how the April Fools partygoers were grouped together for a selfie while poor Amumu is forgotten... again.

Downfall1 votes

Yeah I dont mind those at all, but this splash sort of feels like they made it just because they have to have a splash, this picture doesn't really show any connection and certainly doesn't tell a story, unless it's talking about how they're both trapping inside a discoball together

Soul Cairn1 votes

I think that they should add their own version of "VS." in it or they should've made two separate splash arts from the beginning, but it's too late for option two, so I really hope that they could add a "VS." in it, so it really gives the feel of a fighter game, such as "Mortal Kombat" or "Tekken". Because right now they look like two statues in a museum. Which is, in my opinion, a bit boring for this game. The "VS." would add the feel of a fight which is about to start, which is in this case, since it's Final Boss Veigar's Team vs. Arcade. Also, such a "Vs." skin hasn't been made yet, so it would be something new for Rito. However, myself, and the community should understand if they can't do it because of copyrights.

Ps: IF they're ever going to make a "VS." sign in it, then I'd like to see it in "Rito" style. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Sona MissFortune Hecarim Riven + 1 VS. Blitzcrank Veigar + 3

Ahri Vladimir Ekko Darius

John Berserk1 votes

I don't have a problem with shared splashes, for 1350 tier skins or otherwise. It's still a cool splash art, regardless if it have more than one Champ in it.

This actually helps the two skins sort of co-mingle with one another in their own little canon together too.

Asdeft1 votes

Normally they should get their own splash art, but when they also share a theme, it is completely understandable for them to share a splash. I just wish they were actually doing something instead of just posing. And if they are going for a Riven vs Blitzcrank look then make it really look like that and add in the Vs in the middle with a funny fighter game-style venue in the background.

Audiomancy1 votes

I thought the idea was that they were in a sort of fighting game pre-battle screen.


SUMMONER'S RIFT [RivenRIVEN] Xxriv3nM4inxX12 vs MasterHooker [BLITZCRANKBlitzcrank]

Ðucktales1 votes

maybe i didnt read all of the comments, but i didnt see any one asking to put all the champion portraits on the colored blocks in the background, putting riven and blitz towards the center with highlighted selection boxes on them, illustrating the Fighting Game Gimick they have forced upon us. add the vs. in the middle like i saw before and it becomes a authentic thing.

Monkey D Luffy1 votes

wow i made a thread about this and didnt even notice yours, i hate it so much too, it's just lazy and it splits the fame between 2 people rather than letting us focus on one, i'd much rather a detailed skin than a half assed skin split between two :/

but hey man, dont worry, riot dont care one bit about community input on these sorts of things, it'll ship out, there won't be any changes, they know people will still buy the skins, which really annoys me on how little riot care, i've seen threads with hundreds of upvotes and not even a single red reply, they ignore so much and it really annoys me, sure they do a lot but for me i'm someone who frequently spends money on this game and it'd be nice to know they cared about the community, they just shove things down our throats most of the time with there sometimes being an exception, the feedback riot give right now on things the community is unhappy about is atrocious right now, they ignore it and wait for people to give up which is lazy and really bad on their part, it feels pointless making posts on forums related to things dont like anymore because riot are so unresponsive most of the time and it really makes me sad as a player

yay nibbers1 votes

I don't think Riot isn't listening. Not only are they at least responding to the feedback in the feedback threads on the PBE, but there's another thread on basically the same topic but waaaaay shorter than my post with a Rioter reply explaining why the splash is like this and that they're taking in feedback from all over. I think they read the big threads but choose not to reply because everything has been said already and/or posting in the thread themselves wouldn't add anything constructive and could possibly throw things off.

That said, at least a reply of acknowledgement would be nice assuming they are indeed reading threads like this

RiotKindlejack9 votes

We are indeed reading threads like this >;)

Yes this is a homage to fighting game character select screens and will have a UI overlay. I don't know what the final plan is for it or why it's not on there yet, but I actually did a little bit of work on it so I know it exists. Often yes, it's lower scope skins that have combined splashes (although I do like that they allow us to show a group of skins in context), but occasionally an idea like this comes up that we think is genuinely cool. The other thing that happens is that while the splash is being worked on we go all out on a skin that was planned for a low scope and push it up because we have a great idea. This splash was done by Alvin Lee. The same Alvin Lee that worked for UDON on the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers comics so he absolutely loves fighting games!

yay nibbers2 votes

I knew it!

I can't wait to see the final product. Initially I was averse to the idea of them sharing a splash, and even before this version of the splash was revealed I was thinking "oh please don't do the usual and give thim a shared splash." But the idea of the fighting game reference was introduced to me shortly after I started this thread and it's slowly worked into my brain parts as something that could absolutely be cool. A bit of hate came into this thread, but I still have faith in you guys! Not just in regards to splash arts, in all facets of your work!

RiotKindlejack4 votes

I remember there were reservations about doing a shared splash at the time it was suggested, but we try to be open to anything if the people working on it have a lot of confidence in the outcome. I think it's really cool and very appropriate this time around but if someone said 'From now on Arcade skins are going to all share a splash like a fighting game' then there would be a lot of table-flipping in the office. It's fine to be critical and keep us accountable. I don't read the forums looking for praise, I like to provide insight where I can and see what really invested players opinions/reactions are.

kneel on Ice1 votes

So cool rioter <3 are we getting another lissandra skin soon please ?

Arkantasa1 votes

Was Riven's face changed a bit? Please tell me it did D: (It looks so weird atm)

Gorgannan1 votes

I like them a lot when appropriate. The Marauder and Warden skins it's good. Same with the club/ace/spades/heart skins.

Hiemdol1 votes

Like others have said sharing a splash with this pair of skins makes sense. All the same in most cases I think it should be more an exception rather than the rule it seems to be these days. It seems to take the focus off each skin just to make sure we know there are other skins like the one we want.

RoyaiChaos1 votes

I don't think sharing splashes is a problem. Riot has been releasing a lot more skins ever since they started combining splashes which imo is a small amount of quality lost for a good amount of quantity.

Anyways I do think that this splash in particular is quite lackluster, but that's not the fault of a shared splash, more of just a lack of any action or background beside posing and bright lights. Another thing that you brought up is that they're both 1350 and I agree that they should have separate splashes, or at least look more interesting in a shared splash. The Arcade line has always had a sexy pose with bright lights as a background but it seems lazy when there are two champions together because it overcrowds the splash.

Nuclear Panda1 votes

They should add a "VS" in between them because right now, it seems like they are posing for pictures or something which is NOT what a splash should look like.

Kamekazí1 votes

people who complain about small things like this are kinda lame too considering that riots doing really good and trying their best.

Dr Poro1 votes

I usually like them IF they make sense. This one, however, doesn't.

Arcade Riven seems like a "hero", a player character, a main character, a good guy. Battleboss Blitzcrank is obviously a Boss, a foe, a bad guy.

Why are these two fighting together? If they're in the same splash, they should be fighting eachother not side by side!

yay nibbers1 votes

They are fighting each other though. It's meant to reference a fighting game's character select or loading screen. It's also unfinished.

iKhoality1 votes

About the claw, they basically just flip the splash the other way, and BOOM! Battle Boss Blitzcrank splash... Such lazy people >:(

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