Riot Games Introduces Arena Mode in League of Legends
Riot Games has recently launched the highly anticipated Arena mode in League of Legends, much to the delight of the community. The company has shared the reasons behind adding this new game mode and provided some insights into its creation.
At the start of the year, Riot acknowledged that League players had been feeling underserved for a while. This led to a dev update in February, where Riot announced the arrival of the two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two game mode in the summer, at the expense of other rotating game modes like Urf, Spellbook, and One For All.
The excitement and expectations surrounding Arena mode grew immensely in the months leading up to its release, and players have expressed their satisfaction with the final product. Riot now wants to shed some light on how Arena came to be.
In the words of Andrei Van Roon, the head of the League studio, Riot had already been exploring various game modes, but the discontent among players at the beginning of the 2023 season created a sense of urgency in delivering a new mode this year.
Initially, the dev team had planned to release Arena in 2024. However, they were asked to accelerate its development for this summer. The goal was to create a more relaxed League experience, as described by Eduardo Cortejoso, the modes product lead at Riot.
Arena quickly became a top priority for Riot, as the excitement within the studio spread to players. However, the goal wasn’t just to make a good first impression; Riot wanted to create a mode with staying power.
Understanding the nature of Arena, the team addressed several issues from the start. They added Augments from TFT and introduced a new terrain type called Deep Water, which benefits ranged champions in the small battlefield of the Arena. Champion cameos, such as Sett and Lux, also add a strategic element to fights in the Arena.
The ideal outcome for Riot, according to Emmons, is to attract an audience of players who want to love League but aren’t as drawn to the Summoner’s Rift map.
Despite the challenges faced during the development of Arena mode, Rioters hope that players will continue to enjoy the game mode and not want it to be turned off.
Riot Games, Arena mode, League of Legends, game mode, community, dev update, rotating game modes, two-vs-two-vs-two-vs-two, League experience, Augments, Deep Water, champion cameos