On March 24, our Youxia.com was fortunate to be invited to participate in the "League of Legends" media roundtable interview meeting. The interviewees were Andrei van Roon, the head of the League of Legends studio and Jeremy Lee, the executive producer of "League of Legends". In the interview, they answered topics one by one, including the future development of "League of Legends" and the importance of Chinese players. Let's take a look at the Q&A of this media group interview!

Andrei van Roon

Jeremy Lee

Q: Many League of Legends users are leaving the game because they are getting older. What plans do the studio have to retain users and attract them to return?

　　Andrei van Roon: This is indeed a good question. We believe that the traditional ranking mode of "League of Legends" is still suitable for many players who like competitive gameplay, but we have also seen changes in everyone's habits, lifestyles, etc. We need to consider more and have a more relaxed, social and stronger gaming experience.

　　We not only need to complete improvements in ranking, but also attract everyone's return by promoting new game modes with a more relaxed and faster paced game mode. For example, we will see a new game mode online in the middle of this year.

　　Q: Riot mentioned before that it is necessary to gradually reduce the launch of new heroes. How is the progress now? How many new heroes are there still designs for the team?

　　Jeremy Lee: We will not stop developing new heroes, but we will indeed temporarily slow down the pace of new heroes launching. We continue to follow our heroes every year to see what kind of hero players want. This year, we focus mainly on the development of game modes. We are still designing and investigating new heroes. There may be 3-4 new heroes in the next year, not 5-6 in the past. We will continue to evaluate this number/tempo.

　Andrei van Roon: To give a good example, in fact, in 2018 we also slowed down the pace of launching new heroes to focus on other work. Q: The designer mentioned in the previous video that some new mythical equipment will be added every year. Will there be new equipment in the mid-2023 season? The League of Legends mobile game has recently released a lot of interesting new equipment. Will the PC game transplant some equipment, or use the equipment system to salvage some unpopular characters?

　Andrei van Roon: We will definitely continue to add new equipment, but the performance of mythical equipment is indeed not as we expected. We have also seen many players' dissatisfaction. We cannot say that we will change mythical equipment a lot. In this year's preseason, we hope to give players more flexibility in the system and improve their satisfaction. As for League of Legends mobile games, we are very open-minded and are willing to bring some successful equipment back to the PC game.

　　Q: Players are still concerned about the upcoming new mode 2V2V2V2 that "League of Legends". Can you talk about the relatively advantageous aspects of this mode compared with the traditional 5V5 mode? Previously, the official said that after the new mode was launched, the support of existing rotation modes such as Unlimited Firepower, Unlimited Fighting, Ultimate Magic Classic, and Cloning Battle will be suspended. So are there any plans to go online in these modes?

　　Jeremy Lee: We will not plan to suspend support for other modes. The reason for the current suspension of the battle is that we focus on the new mode 2V2V2V2. However, after the launch of 2V2V2V2, it will continue to rotate other modes after it is launched in the middle of the year.

　　When it comes to 2V2V2V2 mode, in terms of game duration, it must be shorter than 5V5 mode, faster game pace, and provide a brand new experience. At the same time, if you lose the game early, you can still continue to watch the game progress. This is a little entertainment before you start the next set.

　Andrei van Roon: We may also do some modes like "League of Legends: Gambling". After each round of battle, there will be different Hex enhancements, and the gameplay is very diverse. Each game is not sure what enhancements you will get. We will see different effects on the same hero. This is something that players have not experienced before, breaking the existing hero tradition. , in line with the previously mentioned more entertaining, more social, faster gaming time, less competitive and less stressful.

　　Q: Just mentioned earlier that there will be new heroes and new heroes every year. The speed of design heroes is slowing down. Recently, there are many mechanisms in redoing heroes and new design heroes. What are the specific ideas standards for new design heroes now? And how do you view the mechanisms that appear and have been repeated before.

　　Andrei van Roon: Answer this question from two aspects.

　　First, in terms of new heroes, the first thing we want to join must be a brand new and unique hero for the game. When designing and thinking about new heroes, there are many dimensions that need to be considered, such as the appearance, personality, and gameplay of the hero. When you don’t want to be a new hero, you keep repeating the previous casting and skill assembly. It also depends on how many players want new heroes, or whether we need to focus on other aspects.

　　Second, regarding the update of old heroes, the more important point is the player’s feedback on the heroes, how to make the heroes play better during the update. It may be that some heroes that some players like very much, and whether it is possible to get better; or that heroes that players don’t like, it is difficult to balance between professional players and ordinary players.

　　Some large changes, taking Scana (Scorpion) as an example, let’s see how much room for growth and improvement this hero has. Scorpion made it twelve years ago.

　　Jeremy Lee: Let me add it briefly, it is currently about playing.The adjustments to the method include: Niko, Ruier, and Cuishen. Currently, there are two heroes such as Blind Monk and Timo who are making changes in ASU (art and continuity). There is no particularly clear plan to start VGU (visual and gameplay) adjustments to more heroes.

　Q: As the same IP, League of Legends PC games and mobile games have many similar and different elements. How will the differences and connections between the two be handled in the future?

　Andrei van Roon: The most important thing is to make League of Legends PC games and mobile games original games within the League of Legends IP, and each character is consistent with the IP settings. The "League of Legends" PC game and mobile game are not like twins, but more like the relationship between brothers and sisters. They have similarities, but are not completely consistent. As a company with PC gaming as its background, Riot is still exploring how to provide a better mobile gaming experience. Perhaps players want faster, easier or different ranking forms. We need to take into account the needs of players while ensuring that heroic personality, overall gaming experience, etc. will not deviate from the IP.

　　Q: In the memories related to "League of Legends" China, are there anything that impressed you particularly deeply?

　　Jeremy Lee: There are so many things that are deeply memorable. What is most impressive is the moment when EDG won the Summoner Trophy in the Global Finals in 2021. I saw the celebration video of Chinese players, and there were college students in the dormitory and even walked to the street to celebrate. This part was the one that impressed me the most.

　Andrei van Roon: There are several items, the first one is the moment when the dragon flew into the bird's nest and the audience's reaction in the 2017 Global Finals. The whole experience is unforgettable for a lifetime.

　　Secondly, Chinese players have very strong creativity in games, different gameplay, game understanding, etc. Every time I see the game between Chinese players, I am happy for the development of "League of Legends".

　Q: In the future, what aspects will "League of Legends" focus on?

Jeremy Lee: The goal of League of Legends is to keep it flourishing and growing in the process of multiple iterations. We have many short-term goals and a lot about long-term planning. At present, our R&D team really wants to maintain more frequent and easier communication with players, especially with Chinese players. At the same time, we also hope to bring better (in-game) activities and explore more diverse game modes.

　　Q: We found that the selection and winning rates of some heroes in the national server are very high, but they are rarely adjusted. In the balance work, is the data on the Chinese server of the League of Legends less valued?

　　Jeremy Lee: We do receive and carefully examine the balance data of the national server. The game experience and feedback of domestic server players are crucial to our balance strategy. There are many factors that require balanced decisionsWe must consider that in addition to the selection rate and winning rate, including the probability of a hero being banned, are also factors to consider. Will everyone not want to encounter a duel with this hero? We will also look at the winning rate of heroes of players of different levels, not only professional players or bronze players, but also more players' winning rate.

　　In addition, the same hero has different selection and winning rates in different servers and regions, and we are still working hard to make balanced decisions better and more macro. But indeed, we must have something we can do better, especially for Chinese players.

　Andrei van Roon: We really want to understand the feedback and opinions of Chinese players on the game. This is also the important reason why we came to the Shanghai Office of Riot Games during this trip. We will continue to do this in the future. We hope to have a better understanding of Chinese players who love "League of Legends" in this way and establish a closer connection.

　　Q: What kind of existence do Chinese players exist in "League of Legends"? In what aspects can the player's gaming experience be improved?

　　Jeremy Lee: Chinese game players are very important to "League of Legends", an indispensable part, both from the perspectives of League of Legends player community, the game itself, the event, etc. In Shanghai this week, we met many enthusiastic Chinese players, as well as Chinese players with very high game levels. We hope to better understand Chinese players, communicate our plans more effectively with Chinese players, establish close contact with Chinese players, and also to truly do specific things that Chinese players care about, such as the matching mechanism.

　　Q: What do you think is the advantage that "League of Legends" can last forever in the competition for PC games?

　Andrei van Roon: I think the core is the game attributes that integrate competitiveness with community experience and teamwork. The improvement of the game experience in "League of Legends" is not just about yourself, but more often it is about teammates playing together, cooperation with them, teammates, C your teammates, or winning with teammates, etc. In addition, the League of Legends IP, heroes, and worldview that players love, all of which make players have the idea of "no matter whether they win or lose, they want to play another game."

　　There is also the connection with the game beyond the game itself. For example, e-sports events allow you to see professional players want to go home and use this hero when playing a certain hero. There is also "League of Legends: Battle of the Two Cities", which many players love. They see heroes in cartoons and will want to play this hero in the game even more after they understand their story background. The League of Legends IP itself has a strong role in improving the competitiveness of "League of Legends" in PC games.

　　Jeremy Lee: Gamers are very prosperous and sustainable in the future of "League of Legends" over the yearsImportant reason.

　Q: What important decisions have you made about "League of Legends" in the past two or three years?

　　Jeremy Lee: The complexity of "League of Legends" will have a great impact on every small decision. Fortunately, I don't need to make balanced, design decisions. What I can think of right now is the investment in improving player behavior. We have built a team dedicated to improving the game environment. This is very difficult, but I am very happy to see that it has indeed brought positive effects.

　Q: How do you think about some people outside the world that "The Fearless Contract" will have an impact on the existing PC game status of "League of Legends"?

　Andrei van Roon: I am not very worried about this point. Although the national server of "Fearless Contract" has not been launched yet, in other markets around the world, "League of Legends" and "Fearless Contract" are shining in their own way.

　　"Fearless Contract" and "League of Legends" are both 5V5 PVP games, but the game experience of "Fearless Contract" is different from the MOBA game of "League of Legends" and the IP is also different. The feelings players want to bring through the game are also different, so there are certain differences in the player audience of the two games.

　　For this reason, Riot Games ensures that both games can flourish through investment and expansion of their teams.

　　Jeremy Lee: I am very much looking forward to the launch of "The Fearless Contract" in China. I hope this game can boost the PC game community and enhance the prosperity and growth of the PC side.

　Q: Apart from this year's 2V2V2V2, are you considering more entertainment modes? Is it possible to bring back the old entertainment modes like Six Killing and Feisheng that I have done before? What is the producer’s personal favorite pattern?

　　Andrei van Roon: We want to find a balance, sometimes bringing back some old modes that players love, such as Six Kills, but at the same time we also want to try new and surpass the previous modes. So as Jeremy just said, we spent a lot of time on 2V2V2V2. After trying and reviewing it internally, we felt that this would be a very different model from before. We also look forward to hearing player feedback after launching it and continuing to improve. The mode I look forward to most about 2V2V2V2 is the mode I spent a lot of energy on. I had a lot of fun while testing.

　　Jeremy Lee: I think players should be looking forward to the return of extreme flash mode, so do I myself.

　　Q: The last large-scale update of "League of Legends" map was already 2015. Will there be plans to improve the screen effect of "League of Legends" in the future?

　　Jeremy Lee: We will continue to invest in "League of Legends" to make the gameKeep up with the trend and make sure it thrive. So we have been considering what kind of game features, visual effects, and game experience can meet the current needs of players. We still hope that every player who wants to play "League of Legends" can play this game. We will not simply pursue game complexity, images, etc., but we will consider whether all players can play this game. This is the balance we have always sought.

　　Q: Can you give a detailed introduction to the derivative action adventure game "Search the Magician: League of Legends" that will be launched in "League of Legends"? And can you briefly disclose the launch plans for other derivative products this year?

　　Andrei van Roon: About the upcoming "Search of the Magic: League of Legends", a single-player action role-playing (RPG) game, another work of Riot Forge. You will play Silas himself, leading the mages to launch a confrontation with the Demacia land city-state, which requires a combination of fighting and stealing magic attacks, which is also one of the characteristics of Silas. This is Riot Forge's third work after "The King of Defeated" and "Hex Bursts".

　　We are also developing other League of Legends IP-derived games. More Riot Forge games are also looking at other products, but there is no information that can be disclosed yet.

　　Q: Can you tell me whether there will be more Chinese-element skins and heroes online in China in the future.

　　Jeremy Lee: For the global game "League of Legends", we have been seeking inspiration from different regions and cultures around the world, and reflecting it from the content. We are very confident that in the future, more characters and content inspired by Chinese culture will appear in the game. The blue and white porcelain series skins for the Spring Festival were loved by many domestic players, and we will also look at the blue and white porcelain series skins in the future.

　　Q: The recent departure of Ghost Crab has made everyone pay attention to the MMORPG project of "League of Legends". What stage has this project progressed? When is the first test expected to be launched?

　　Andrei van Roon: I am very frustrated with the departure of Ghost Crab. He used to be my manager on the League of Legends project and was very happy to work with him. On MMORPG, Ghost Crab has done a lot of work, forming a team and starting a project, but the project will take a long time to develop and is still in the early stages, so it is too early to talk about testing.

　　Q: Regarding the League of Legends movies that players are most looking forward to, is there any movies going on? Will you see League of Legends movies on the big screen in the future? In addition, how did "League of Legends" plan in terms of worldview?

　　Andrei van Roon: The current focus of everyone is on "League of Legends"The second season of Alliance: Battle of the Twin Cities is a very important step in TV animation to surpass the game itself. Personally, I am looking forward to one day we can try League of Legends movies, and we have always wanted to do what players are looking forward to.

　　The second question about the worldview of League of Legends. We now have multiple games, including "League of Legends: Battle of the Two Cities", etc. We have an IP strategy team. Their job responsibilities are how we tell IP stories on different products and experiences, and help us make long-term plans for IP.

Q: After the coating appears, there are few turnovers in the passerby's ranking. Most of the reasons are that the snowball rolls faster in the early stage, and the appearance of strategic points cannot make up for the huge defensive towers and resources in the early stage, which leads to the passerby's ranking being more impetuous in the national server. When it is at a disadvantage, the number of players who want to insist on waiting for an opportunity to turn over is not as good as before. Is there any way to solve the current dilemma in the ranking?

　　Jeremy Lee: We have also been paying close attention to the "snowball" situation in the game, and we hope to provide players who insist on the game with the opportunity to win. Last season, we introduced a strategic point, which is a type of turnaround mechanism, sending signals to players to let them know how to win and get more resources. The strategic point has helped, but we are not satisfied with its performance.

　　Andrei van Roon: Players with better levels may be more likely to benefit from small points. So many times, we have to continue to rethink and understand the state of the game. Maybe we want something fun to be fun, and it is no longer fun. We are also trying a lot about increasing the chance of turning the tables. For example, the experience gained from killing heroes is now reduced, and the gain advantage of each dragon has also been reduced to slow down the snowball. We also have a possible change in the mid-test season, strengthening the defensive towers after the coating is dropped to slow down the pushing speed and improve snowballing. At the same time, we don’t want to go too far in other directions, because we also see that if one side cannot see its leading edge, the game will be slow and conservative, which is not what we want to see. We hope to find a balance point of compromise. Q: As a member of the alliance content creator, if you want to make the game ecosystem better and better, is there any content direction that creators need to make the game better from the designer's perspective?

　　 Andrei van Roon: The fun thing about "League of Legends" as a game lies in teamwork and teamwork. Everyone plays the game together, rather than a group of people working on their own. If the content creators can emphasize more on the teamwork and teamwork of the game, it may be of great help to the game.

　　Jeremy Lee: It’s more about what the player community wants to see. Our team hopes to give players what they want, the satisfaction of the player community and the game.Success is closely related. If content creators can provide what the player community wants to see, it will be the greatest help to the game.