League of Legends’ Monetization Plan at Odds with Arcane Success

The League of Legends community is upset after Riot Games quietly removed Hextech Chests, a way for players to earn free skins. Riot explained this decision by saying it was “not sustainable” from a revenue perspective, causing players to question the company’s priorities.

In a developer update, Riot explained the situation by stating that skins are the primary way League of Legends generates income. They argue that skins allow them to continue developing the game, adding new features, and hosting events like Worlds.

However, they also mentioned that while the number of players has been stable, it has become more challenging to maintain sustainable income to reinvest in the game.

Riot said that players had been earning too many skins through Hextech Chests, which led to lower spending on paid skins, making the system unsustainable.

But this explanation clashes with previous statements made by Riot about their massive investment in the Arcane series. When asked about how they managed to fund a $250 million project like Arcane, Riot’s Marc “Tryndamere” Merrill explained that the company does not create projects like Arcane to sell skins.

Instead, they sell skins to fund such projects. Merrill emphasized that Riot is focused on delivering value to players in the long term, rather than focusing on short-term profits.

This raises a major question: Is League of Legends struggling financially, requiring higher player spending, or is Riot thriving so much that they can afford massive projects like Arcane, while still increasing monetization in the game?

Players are upset because they feel like they’re being asked to fund non-game projects like Arcane, even though Riot claims to prioritize delivering a great experience in the game. Many players also feel the quality of skins has been dropping after recent layoffs at Riot, which included cuts to their cosmetics team.

The community is worried about Riot’s future plans, and many players are saying these changes will not affect their spending behavior. With the company’s recent layoffs and statements not adding up, both Riot and the League of Legends community seem to be facing uncertain times.

Will Riot manage to get the revenue it wants, or will players push back even harder? Time will tell.