Last week, Riot Games announced a major change for League of Legends fans: a timer that would monitor in-game objectives. This feature had long been requested by fans and was previously available through a third-party app called Curse Voice. However, Riot had banned Curse Voice on February 5, claiming it gave players a competitive advantage.
Curse Voice developers were disappointed by this decision, as it was the second time Riot had implemented changes that were first made available through a third-party app. At the start of the year, Curse Voice generated excitement among players because it offered voice chat, a feature that had been promised by Riot but not yet delivered.
League of Legends is a team-based game that lacks in-game voice chat, so Curse Voice catered to the players who wanted this feature. It not only provided voice chat but also included other useful features, such as jungle timers that informed players when important in-game objectives would respawn. These timers made gameplay more convenient and allowed players to focus on the game instead of keeping mental notes.
However, this led to a disparity between players who had access to Curse Voice and those who didn’t. High-level players argued that keeping track of respawn times was a skill, while others believed Curse Voice simply made the game more accessible. The debate escalated and eventually reached Riot’s forums, prompting Riot to ban players from using the app.
Riot justified their decision by stating that having timers accessible only through a third-party app gave certain players a competitive advantage. However, it seems that Riot may have also been working on their own in-game timers and used the emergence of third-party apps as a catalyst to implement this feature.
Despite the ban, Curse Voice continued to evolve and adapt. They removed the jungle timers to comply with Riot’s policy but emphasized that their voice calls were opt-in. They also mentioned their continued collaboration with Riot to resolve any concerns.
On June 24, Riot announced their own jungle timers, which they rolled out in the Public Beta Environment. Riot explained that they decided to add timers after considering whether bookkeeping of jungle timers contributed to the players’ satisfaction. They also acknowledged that third-party apps like Curse Voice played a role in their decision.
While Curse Voice faced opposition from Riot, other voice chat software like lolip-op.com received no official response. This led to suggestions that Riot’s decision might not be solely based on concerns about competitive advantage.
Curse Voice’s chief technology officer, Michael Comperda, expressed his disappointment with Riot’s decision but remained optimistic about the future of Curse Voice. He mentioned that there are other games that could benefit from their features and that Curse Voice aims to create a platform that extends beyond just League of Legends.
Riot’s lead designer of social systems, Jeffrey “Lyte” Lin, released a statement outlining Riot’s objections to voice chat. He cited statistics that suggested voice chat with friends improves the playing experience, but when strangers are added, the rate of satisfaction drops. Lin also mentioned that voice chat with strangers leads to more toxicity and reports.
While Riot has not closed the doors on voice chat being possible in the future, there are counter-arguments to their concerns. Many voice software programs already include features like opt-out, mute, and disconnect options, which address the problems outlined by Riot.
Some developers and community members believe that Riot’s decision to block Curse Voice is not motivated by community concerns but rather an attempt to control and appropriate successful third-party apps. However, Riot has not commented on these allegations.
Overall, despite the ban, Curse Voice remains hopeful about the future and plans to expand beyond just League of Legends. They believe that voice communication is superior to chat for certain types of games and are committed to creating a platform that supports this.