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@ Any And All Rioters: How Important Do You Think Lore Is To This Game And Why?

Impetual·2/26/2015, 8:03:53 AM·54 votes·17,572 views

Lately, it really feels like quality lore isn't a priority for Riot. They decided to announce a retcon to pretty much everything about the world of Runeterra (with an agreement to respect core champion themes), but they seem to be dragging their heels when it comes to actually writing any new lore in the retconned universe.

To be fair. they haven't even finished retconning Runeterra....but that's kinda the problem!

@Riot, you guys totally mishandled this retcon. If it had to be done (Which I don't think it did) it should have at least been done in one fell swoop.

But you guys are dragging this retcon out for months and even years. Please end it, so that we can move on.

Preferably you'd undo it, but I don't think you guys are willing to swallow your pride to that extent and admit the retcon was a dumb idea, assuming you guys actually realize what a bad decision it was, and the negative effect it is having on LoL lore.

**If you have to do it, get it done quickly, and actually start releasing lore developments again. All we've had in the last few years are champion bio's. **

Champion bio's don't add any development to Runeterra (for the most part), they just tell you more about its history. Runeterra doesn't actually change when we hear a bit more about its history, there isn't really any development, since there is no change.. None of the stuff that was there before is further developed, you just know more about it's history. Nothing actually changes.

I would love to actually see some lore updates again, like we had with the JoJ!

Rioters, please tell me why you personally think lore is important to this game, so that we can help bridge the gap between player expectations, and developer's mindsets.

140 Comments

RiotBioluminescence2/26/2015, 8:26:06 PM42 votes

Hey, Impetual.

You asked for any and all Rioters - well, I don't work directly on League, but hopefully I can speak for one Rioter at least.

I really believe that lore is super important to League - but I also think it's going through some awkward growing pains at the moment. I think there's probably a universe where League could exist as a game removed of almost all setting and lore and story - like chess.

I absolutely do not think it should.

Lore can raise a game from being an abstract mechanical experience to a rich and involving experience that includes you in the struggles of willful entities. It infuses everything from the color of the bricks in a building, to the style of animation of an attack, to the mechanical counters of two rival champs. Ideally, it ties everything together, and every new champ, every graphical update, every story, short, animation or whatever all feel part of a cohesive whole. Even better when the lore goes beyond the game (without invalidating it) and we can spread our wings and explore every corner of it.

However, I believe that that is damn hard.

Remember, I don't work on League directly, but I try to help when I can. As a side project, removed from my usual role, I designed the Shurima tablet map that popped up recently - I was so, so humbled when some of you picked up on some of my historical influences. I put a lot of thought into the culture that would make such an object - the creator, his patron, how the map had changed hands over the years, what world events had marked its surface and what was known of the world before its creation, during, and after.

I really enjoyed doing that, even though it was the tiniest of things (and most players didn't give it a second glance, I'm sure). It's just history, as you said, however, but as a member of the 'any and all Rioters' group, that's all I personally can offer today.