/dev: State of Skins
/dev: State of Skins - Nexus - League of Legends
A dev blog about skins! Ever wondered why some champions go without skins for ages? Well this provides a bit of insight in to that.
20 Comments
Best part of it
Nice read and most of it is sensed and expected. I only don't like much the part of: "low playrate champions are less likely to receive skins" (not actual quote, just the bone of the argument).
It's obvious that making skins for champions that see a wider player use is making more ppl happy and will sell more but it's also true that some champions that would fit that exact thematic (even better) are left behind because of playrate (Don't take me too seriously but lets take Elementalist Lux as example, the fact that they could change VFX for each of her skins aswell as VO etc. didn't make her a better choice over, lets say, Xerath who also had a chance to change entirely, not only get a different dress and haircut. What made the big difference was the popularity).
I am one of the guys that likes playing characters that are not the "must pick" of the roster and that reveal hurted a fair bit, it feels like I'm somehow punished for not liking what you get to see 24/7 on the battlefield while already playing a suboptimal champion because meta.
As a conclusion, I really really hope that popularity isn't a deterring factor for champions skins over thematics. If you are about to release a skinline based on lightning for example don't even try to give LB/Syndra a skin and leave Aurelion Sol (explanation: Ao Shin-like skin) out of the thing as it happened for World Breakers.
I love how, for years, we were told that "champion popularity does not play a part in skin selection," even though we knew it was a damned lie. This article officially makes liars out of all those other Rioters, as sad as that actually is. So much for being "about the players" since they admit they're only about the ones that like popular champs.
As far as the "skins in the next 12 months," I'm not going to act grateful that my favorite champ, Yorick, is getting a skin after six to seven years. That could mean anything from Undertaker Yorick chromas to even worse ideas. Hell, Supercakes refuses to guarantee that the skin will even be of a high quality or one that will be worth the 6+ year wait.
Supercakes is only "confident" that Yorick will be getting one within the 12 months. This does NOT inspire much confidence in this "creative" team, since those words provide a cynical cop-out if they fail to deliver something amazing by just releasing some lazily made and cheap looking Blood Moon or Marauder (with Blue chroma) skin just to not be called a liar on May 3, 2018.
If Riot is really looking to "tackle major pain points," the least they can do is make every effort and spare no expense to make a skin that is worth that long a wait.
The real thing that pisses me off personally (as someone who generally plays relatively 'unpopular' champions such as Tahm Kench, Vel'Koz, and Illaoi), is that no matter how many promises we get for a Yorick skin or a Swain skin or a Shen skin or a Heimerdinger skin, they almost always end up as promises. Either that, or we do get some cool stuff like Dragon Sorceress Zyra or even waaaay back as Ironside Malphite - and I was hard pressed to find quality, relatively recent skins for what are considered 'unpopular' champions. But there will always be the literal stretches of time that are 4+ years since receiving a skin, and then you have champions Riot will bend over backwards to give a skin to like Ahri, Lee, Fizz, or Jinx, alongside many others. No matter how cool Riot tries to make the skin for x unpopular champion after years and years of shallow, empty promises, even then it's rarely all that spectacular - Dragon Sorceress Zyra failed to even have a unique VO despite her thematic completely changing. When these super-duper special skins for Yorick, Cass, Illaoi, and Viktor come out, they had better be every bit top of the line as you can make them. And I love how other champions aren't even mentioned, just a vague promise that 'other champions are likely on our list', or when VGUs are dropped as if Yorick doesn't deserve a skin because what? He got a whole total of, what, two 750-tier ones recolored with ghoul models added? Please. Pool Party Taric and PROJECT: Fiora are laughing somewhere, alongside Poppy and Warwick and Galio who had multiples of that number of skins improved and redesigned.
This was an interesting read, and I don't bear Supercakes any ill will personally, but I will always call the Skin team out on their bullshit when they so happen to expose it. I'm not saying I would do a better job, and they are very talented artists and programmers, but they need to remove their rose-tinted glasses and realize they have failed irrevocably to 'please' and 'interact' with a vast portion of the League playerbase. I think it's disgusting that we can have a champion like Ekko have more skins than champions who are several years older than him, and who received said skins within a time frame that is comparitively very short. Or even stuff like Ahri and Draven, who each received 3 skins within an 18 month period- or champions like Vi and Tristana who got two very nice skins back to back. 'Oh, Tristana got Dragon Trainer like ten months ago, she's due for a new one now' - oh really, by that logic then Yorick should have like nine skins. The skin system has utterly betrayed several champion communities that are every bit as valuable as the LC$ cash cows that oftentimes seem to be the only ones on Riot's radar. I've heard time and time again that just because x champion got a skin worked on doesn't mean they've 'stolen' a spot from another; when did Riot acquire infinite resources and staff? This is a novel concept to me.
And who's to say these would even be good skins? Oftentimes when a champion gets their new skin, if they aren't as popular, it's some 750 that's basically a recolor, or sometimes if they are lucky a 975 that is a 750 with a couple new particles and maybe a new recall. I'm not being ungrateful - that's just the fact. There are people who play Tahm Kench, Sejuani, Gragas, Trundle, Olaf, Leona, Singed, Nocturne, Kayle, Vladimir too, you know - and the list goes on much farther than that.
I just think it's a tad bit dense for Riot to come on here with a dev blog making broad, general statements and a fresh new string of hollow promises, that even if fulfilled, would in no way make up for the wrongs done to several champions. They've failed in several regards to their community and its sad that they made some cutesy dev blog that doesn't even bother to apologize for it.
Words and promises are cheap. And so is Corporate Talk. Calling it a "pain point" that Yorick hasn't gotten a skin in 6 years (Riot Skins Team: "Let's try for 7!") is a bad joke. They shouldn't be "confident" these champs will get skins. They should get skins, period. If a concept doesn't work, then drop other skin ideas until those champs have skins.
I have a few opinions. Final confirmation that Popularity = More skins. It was obvious before but now they've said it.
I have my doubts we'll be seeing a Cass, Yorick, Illaoi or Viktor skin anytime soon anyways . The skins team promises a lot, but it really doesn't mean anything.
Lastly I'm pretty bummed they never addressed the atrocities that is Sejuani skins. They seriously didn't even try with them in the end, and it shows.
I think you guys are a bit off on the topic of Void Bringer 
Illaoi. It's mentioned that
"**Some themes and champs are a natural fit, but obviously not every theme can work on every champion. We all play champions for a reason. Something about them resonates with us, whether it’s their abilities, complexity, personality, etc. We always want the skins you are playing to honor and enhance the best parts of playing that champion. **
When we get it right (Star Guardian Lux), you respond in a really positive way. When we get it less-right (Void Bringer Illaoi), you let us know that as well."
Speaking on the topic of themes, Void definitely fits the bill with Illaoi's concept and style. The problem here isn't the theme, the problem is two things. First, her base skin is REALLY good (seriously, good job RIOT), second, is the coloration. Let's take 
Malzahar for a prime example.
Bright purple scarf, glowing blue void marks and eyes, dark blue (but still highly saturated) pants, different colored details(sash, sword, gloves) , bright colored minion, and a big purple glowing aura. Taking a look at his abilities, they have bright glowing purple spots, dark black spots, and high saturation.
Now compare this to Void Bringer Illaoi.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0uIoSq4eCHc/VlDfqkbOcBI/AAAAAAAAIhI/ccFnGmLfRJI/s1600/void.jpg
While the colors she has on her gem, and particles are relatively bright, the rest of her is very VERY bland. Bone-colored chitinous armor, purple skin, dark purple hair, megenta sash, dark megenta neck gorget, pretty much just a couple of shades of magenta tossed underneath some drab bone. Nothing on her really pops, there is no true focal point, nothing pops and catches the eye. She's basically Ivan Ooze with breasts.
Then her abilities. Transparent magenta, no real highlights, no real depth, just drab repetition of color.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/leaguesales/images/imgs/000/000/637/original/void-bringer-illaoi-02.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4lWmt5DO2I/VlKsNCncKdI/AAAAAAAA0-w/l1lXyInPUW0/s1600/ilq.jpg http://imgur.modskinlol.vn/DbbN1s1.jpg http://i1.17173.itc.cn/2015/lol/2015/11/12/pbe1112_23_b.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0bIcTGI7RP4/VlKsNcrNfqI/AAAAAAAA0-0/9kZeYXnJuR4/s1600/ilw.jpg
Taking notes from other void champions, such as Kassadin:
As well as Vel'Koz:
http://riot-web-static.s3.amazonaws.com/images/news/January_2014/VKR/VKC.jpg
The issue is not theme, but rather, not actually sticking with the theme you chose.
My suggestions would be to add that element which really makes a void character look like a void character... The Void. Vel'Koz's Void Rift, All of Kassadin's abilities, Malzahar's Nether Grasp. Those "spacey" dark areas of these abilities, combined with the VERY bright purple highlights, give it that real Void feel.
Perhaps make Void Bringer Illaoi's tentacles filled with that dark spacey look, and brighten up the purple highlights. Brighten up the highlights that her Q creates when it hits someone. When she uses R, leave the cracked ground behind another 0.5-1 second, and brighten up the edges of the cracks, and darken the inside.
The skin is still very salvageable, it just needs some TLC and real attention to what make your Void champions, Void champions.
<3333333333
I hope they explore some new themes for skins and won't just keep adding to the bloodmoon, project, star guardian... pile. Also more skin themes that aren't futuristic/robo/anime.
... It ain't loading for me.
Anyone else?