Riot: Have you ever considered renaming older skins?

Ralanr··24 votes·12,424 views

Edit: Apparently Concepts & Creations is not the forum to ask about skins. I guess that's obvious.

I ask this because some older skins don't seem to fit the theme that newer skins of similar names fall under.

Let's take Forsaken Olaf and Forsaken Jayce. Jayce looks like a Sith Lord with a hammer. Olaf on the other hand just looks like Olaf with a recolor.

Edit: Pictures for reference.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VZ21FGdBOw4/hqdefault.jpg

http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/d/d2/Olaf_ForsakenSkin_Ch.jpg/revision/latest/zoom-crop/width/613/height/460?cb=20110223135617

Then we have the Vandal skin line, where Brand, Twitch, Vlad, and Gragas look like modern bikers while Jax is in blue.

Edit: Pictures for reference.

http://www.leagueoflegendsskins.com/images/champions/splash/Jax_2.jpg

http://pm1.narvii.com/5780/532d6e6c1b0d71ba71ec44d16f2d921e7828ac27_hq.jpg

I'm sure there are other examples I could give, but I can't think of them at the moment.

So have you ever considered renaming a skin to make it fit or because it doesn't fit in a current skin line?

Edit: Shen's rework is actually a great time to try this out.

Check out frozen Shen: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZHvmmwWcAA3bCK.jpg

Then check out Frostblade Irelia: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HAoBCFfQ2Xk/maxresdefault.jpg

Now granted the main common factors between these two are ice themes, but that doesn't mean they can't both be in the same skin line (JarvanIV and Vayne are a part of the dragonslayer line despite their skins not looking similar to Braum and Pantheon in terms of color after all).

And since Shen is fighting Zed in this splash art, you could have the shockblade skin line be rivals to the frost blade skin line. Sort of like the Marauders and Wardens or Dragonslayers vs Dragon Tamers.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l2Q-Pn1jZvM/maxresdefault.jpg

Ice vs Lighting! Two forces of the storm clashing in a hurricane of strife.

26 Comments

RiotKindlejack22 votes

Actually yes, I bring it up on the team from time to time. I'm not sure what the pros and cons are, and we are generally very careful when making any changes to skins that players have already purchased, but I suggest it when something like the RPG skins are coming out and I want to rename Rugged Garen to have a name like the others. I expect players would have mixed feelings about that though so for now we let them be.

On the other hand when reworks do come around I like to bring those old skins into the thematic fold. For example if Forsaken Olaf was reworked I might want to try giving him a hood and some glowing red axes.

Von Revanchist2 votes

Reworked olaf confirmed

Decrit17 votes

On one hand, that would be a huge change for the Olaf skin.

On the other hand red lightaxesabersthings on a viking is just brutal af.

Ralanr6 votes

I'd be fine with that.

ExecutorDill1 votes

{quoted}

On one hand, that would be a huge change for the Olaf skin.

On the other hand red lightaxesabersthings on a viking is just brutal af.

IKR!!! As if he wasn't savage enough xD

TerraRising1 votes

{quoted}

On the other hand when reworks do come around I like to bring those old skins into the thematic fold. For example if Forsaken Olaf was reworked I might want to try giving him a hood and some glowing red axes.

I do like this idea, don't get me wrong, but are you sure the eCommerce department would like it if you turned a 520 RP recolor into something worth significantly more?

RiotKindlejack2 votes

That's a fair point, but looking at the Shen skins I think there's a lot we could do. I feel like concept artists are guilty of pushing projects as much as we can and getting a little over-ambitious >x)

cllesh1 votes

weird, i dont think they almost ever go far off of the basic model.... originality is not something i would attribute to some of the skins we have available

Photos of Ghosts2 votes

I think people are way less attached to the name than to the theme. Although Sith Axedude is definitely an improvement over glow-eyed recolor.

RiotKindlejack1 votes

I guess considering it's a recolour I'm not sure what the intended theme was, or what players think of it as. Chances are players have a lot of different ideas about what Forsaken Olaf is - which makes it tricky.

Tesla Effect1 votes

{quoted}

Actually yes, I bring it up on the team from time to time. I'm not sure what the pros and cons are, and we are generally very careful when making any changes to skins that players have already purchased, but I suggest it when something like the RPG skins are coming out and I want to rename Rugged Garen to have a name like the others. I expect players would have mixed feelings about that though so for now we let them be.

On the other hand when reworks do come around I like to bring those old skins into the thematic fold. For example if Forsaken Olaf was reworked I might want to try giving him a hood and some glowing red axes.

So does this also mean that Full Metal Pantheon will thematically look more like Full Metal Jayce once his VU comes along. And Rammus, he has a Full Metal skin, but it doesnt quite thematically fit with Jayces.

RiotKindlejack1 votes

Potentially if we felt like it would be cool for players who already have the skin. As people in this thread are mentioning, the most important thing is to retain the core fantasy of the skin that players like. With recolours this is very vague so there's probably more space to do something fresh, while something like Full Metal Pantheon has a clearer established theme. I think looking at previous reworks like Miss Fortune and Gangplank is a good guide where themes were preserved but designs were in some instances changed a fair bit.

Ralanr1 votes

Thank you for responding. Honestly the recolors you could make as free chroma's for the players that already have those skins.

RiotKindlejack2 votes

We could, but is it not much much more awesome when your favourite champion has new life breathed into all their old skins? I think it's well worth the time!

GreenLore1 votes

Yeah I also think that it would make sense to rename some other skins so that they actually fit another skin theme.

For example Bandito fiddlesticks could be renamed into High-noon-fiddlesticks(or high noon jhin could become bandito jhin?)

rtbf2256182413 votes

I guess that's what surveys are for. You could just ask the players.

RiotKindlejack1 votes

We have super smart data analysts running all sorts of surveys every day! It's an excellent tool because it can gather data from our entire playerbase across all regions and demographics.

rtbf2256182411 votes

Ex-actly. So just ask us and see if we are cool with it.

AMYS GRAVE1 votes

You retexture skins all the time so i dont see renaming them as much different.

StickyDice2 votes

Can we have more zed skins... please 3 skins for a champ with so mutch playerbase is just terrible ._. item 3070 Zed item 3070

Mannysmoker1 votes

Vandal Jax is not related with the skin line, happens to be that the skin got named that way..according to a rioter

Ralanr8 votes

True, but why not rename it?

Ironclad Dragon1 votes

Yes, I've considered it before. Many times.

Just don't ask me which ones; I can't recall them off the top of my head.

Galaxy King1 votes

It be nice, maybe then they can change Bandito Fiddlesticks skin into High Noon Fiddlesticks, I feel like that name would fit him better.

ZiPS1 votes

Riot has renamed skins before. Pentakill Karthus was named Deathsinger Karthus before the Pentakill line became a thing.

Excitidly Insane1 votes

I find Mecha Kha'Zix to not fit the Mecha line at all, especially if you upgrade his ultimate. After that it takes on the red appearance of the Battlecast skin line.

I also find Battlecast Xerath to not fit the line at all. Not even the red recolor can replace the fact it's supposed to be ballistic or offensive tech inspired weaponry being used, such as missiles or soundwaves.

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