Why champions like Annie, Ezreal, Jinx, and Caitlyn, get so many skins?

YumaS2Astral·2/24/2016, 7:59:57 PM·8 votes·2,825 views

I know I will be downvoted for asking this but... Why Riot makes so many skins for them? They already have lots of skins. Annie, for example, has 10 skins (counting legacy skins) and her last skin has been released over a year ago. Why she should gain another skin now? Why her? Why not, for example, Swain, which hasn't received a new skin for ages? Or even for Sion, which, despite having received a complete VU in 2014, has yet to gain a new skin. In fact, the last new skin that Sion had was released in 2011, 5 years ago. Kennen, which has also been suffering from the same problem, is only going to get a new skin on this upcoming patch.

Why some champions take years to get new skins, while others get lots of skins on a short amount of time?

25 Comments

Alsek2/24/2016, 8:14:02 PM9 votes

Jinx has soooooo many skins.

3 is a lot, right? No one else has 3.

Wait, are we still counting mafia as a skin? Probably better consider it 2...

GreenLore2/24/2016, 11:04:57 PM5 votes

The reason why annie gets the hextech skin is most likely because annie is a cheap champion,that is owned by a lot of people and very well known among league players(also I think the theme worked the best for her) I mean imagine how it would suck if you got lucky and get the exclusive hextech skin....only to find out that you'll need to save 6300 ip to buy the champion first.

Then there is the fact that swain for example is planned to get a VGU,so I doubt that he'll receive any new skins before that.

trash sion2/24/2016, 8:02:36 PM4 votes

I've wondered the same thing. Makes me think Riot makes skins purely based off of champion popularity. Notice how all the champions you mentioned are fan favorites?

Vanjie2/24/2016, 8:09:12 PM2 votes

Because certain champions have skins that sell better than others. My main Karma recently got a skin and I have to say it is one of the ugliest and laziest skins I have seen in a long time. As far as I know she hasn't received a skin prior to the recent one in a while. Riot does typically at least 2 Annie, Teemo and Ahri skins a year. There are certain champions they make the excuse that they need to update them before they do anything, but the have no problem making everyone wait for updates to get new skins. Riot's favorite champion Tryn has received the most skins in the past year and a half.

Players are more inclined to buy a Hextech Annie skin than a Hextech Karma skin . . . and that is the truth. Riot branded it that way, sells it that way, and updates champions that way. There are champions low on their priority list for updates, skins, and branding.

Shadowkirby142/24/2016, 8:23:56 PM1 votes

I've been keeping track on what champion is due for a skin.

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/skin-champion-concepts/zBlPEwf6-champions-that-are-due-for-a-skin

Jeddy0172/24/2016, 8:33:29 PM1 votes

You do have to wonder,why does Annie get the Hextech skin to go along with the Hextech crafting?Yeah it's will only be available through HT crafting,but it's still Annie's 10th or so skin. I'm sure there are champs with less skins who could have been chosen for this Hextech thematic like Rumble for example.

l Helios l2/24/2016, 8:38:45 PM1 votes

I know I will be downvoted for asking this but... Why Riot makes so many skins for them? They already have lots of skins. Annie, for example, has 10 skins (counting legacy skins) and her last skin has been released over a year ago. Why she should gain another skin now? Why her?

Some champions are much easier to create concepts for than others. I mean, it's hard to take Annie and do something that is just plain bad for her to be dressed as. Someone like Kennen or LeBlanc can be slightly more challenging imo. Not justifying the lack of skins, just an alternate aspect.

Why not, for example, Swain, which hasn't received a new skin for ages?

Swain has been said he won't get something until he is updated I'm fairly certain. A rioter commented on the Dragon Master Swain thread a few months ago if you want to dig for that. Swain needs touch ups for sure, and I'd be willing to wait for his new skin until after this.

Or even for Sion, which, despite having received a complete VU in 2014, has yet to gain a new skin. In fact, the last new skin that Sion had was released in 2011, 5 years ago.

Pretty sure Katey said something on this a while ago that stuff is moving for him soon.

Kennen, which has also been suffering from the same problem, is only going to get a new skin on this upcoming patch.

Probably something related to his popularity. Kennen also had decent skins as he was before Blood Moon, but Blood Moon is sexy. He had like 3 I believe (not counting his chromas). That's the same as Jinx now.

Why some champions take years to get new skins, while others get lots of skins on a short amount of time?

Some are just easier to make skins for than others imo. There's a lot of stuff you can do with a champion like Trundle (COUGH COUGH!) that you couldn't do with someone like Xerath; there are like a million things you could do with Annie and Tahm that you cant do with Renekton or Zac. I mean, Zac feels so hard to make decent skins for since it's always just a blob of goo or Renekton is always a giant crocodile with a curved blade. Meanwhile, Annie can fit themes like Alice in Wonderland or Little Red Riding Hood and it works really well, despite being just a girl and some pet. Idk man, that's just how I see it.

Edit: and let's be real, that Annie skin is badass.

IcyPepper2/24/2016, 8:39:32 PM1 votes

Jinx wut

Billy VoHagen2/24/2016, 9:25:09 PM1 votes

Because they sell.

FloRaider422/24/2016, 9:32:29 PM1 votes

It's much harder to create skins for certain champions, mainly caused by animation and consistency. Additionally they usually wait for after the rework to make more skins.

Shroom Junkie2/24/2016, 8:10:29 PM1 votes

Because, 1. They're popular champs, 2. They're good skins. Why create a skin for a champ if it or the champ sucks? Nobody would buy it.

Sharjo2/24/2016, 8:07:12 PM1 votes

Well in Hextech Annie's case it's because they would've figured a highly recognisable older champion having a cool skins tied in with Hextech Crafting would work well and get people involved with the system. For anybody else it's basically "eh let's make this for X champion".

Having a lot of skins shouldn't disqualify you from getting new skins.

Champions that are up for any kind of gameplay related update are off the table for skins until that's done and dusted so a bunch of champions won't be recieving skins soon because of it, which includes Taric, Yorick and everyone in the mid year mage update.

Being a champion with a small pool of skins sucks, but they'll get them eventually. I mean there's only one champion who's never had a new skins that wasn't a release skin: Yorick, and he's been off the table for skins since they put him up to be reworked.

Hell even if you just wanna say "Riot only makes skins for popular champions", that's not a bad thing for Riot to do considering skins are their only income. Nothing they do generates money at the rate skins do and other things like esports are huge money sinks. Making skins for popular champions is basically guaranteed money, so why not go for it?