League of Legends
News, coverage and analysis tracking League of Legends across the outlets.
EXPLORE THE ART AND CREATIVITY BEHIND 40 GAME TITLES THROUGH “WORLDS OF PLAY” GLOBAL ART EXHIBITION IN COLOGNE, AUGUST 27 TO 29Tencent announced "Worlds of Play: The Game Art Exhibition," a global art show featuring 40 game titles from over 20 studios. The exhibition will take place in Cologne, Germany, from August 27 to 29 during gamescom 2026. It will showcase artworks and installations across five themed zones, celebrating the artistry and cultural significance of game creation.
Riot believes League of Legends 'mage bot' strats are "healthy diversity" and "need to be viable"Riot Games has decided against planned Brand buffs for League of Legends patch 26.14 due to concerns about mage bot lane strategies, but maintains that this approach offers healthy diversity. Lead Gameplay Designer Matt 'Phroxzon' Leung-Harrison explained that while frustrating for traditional marksmen, mages in the bot lane provide a necessary strategic option and prevent the game from becoming too formulaic.
Riftbound: Vendetta Details Revealed; Rival Champion Legends And New Set MechanicsRiot Games has revealed details for Riftbound: Vendetta, the fourth set for the League of Legends trading card game, set to release on July 31, 2026. The set introduces new mechanics like Unit-Gear and Decrees, alongside three new gameplay mechanics: Flow, Burn, and Empower. It will also feature rivalries between champions such as Shen and Zed, with special Showdown Decks available for two-player experiences.
Xbox setting Compulsion and Double Fine free is the only good thing to come out of Microsoft's layoffsMicrosoft's recent layoffs, affecting thousands of employees, have led to Xbox allowing Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions to become independent. While the mass job losses are devastating, this move is seen as a positive step for fostering innovation in the indie game space, freeing these studios from the constraints of triple-A development.- MMO Week in Review: EverQuest risingThis week's MMO news roundup highlights the resurgence of the EverQuest franchise with EverQuest Legends entering paid beta and expansions teased for EverQuest and EverQuest II. Other major stories include the implosion of DreamWorld, potential layoffs at Blizzard and Bethesda, and Sony's shutdown of PS3 and PS Vita storefronts. The article also covers updates and news from various other MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online, Conan Exiles, and Valheim.
Researchers studying ChatGPT conversations surprised to find one power user churning out thousands of Doki Doki…A study of over half a million ChatGPT conversations revealed that a significant portion involved AI-generated fiction, with fan fiction being particularly prevalent. Researchers identified distinct user types, including one prolific user who generated thousands of variations of a specific Doki Doki Literature Club pregnancy scenario. The study also noted that popular fan fiction universes requested from AI differed from those commonly found on human-written fan fiction repositories like AO3.- Massively Overthinking: Unbundling the MMORPG genre, 12 years laterIndustry figures like Raph Koster discuss the 'unbundling' of the MMORPG genre, where its core components like live services and subscription models have been adopted by other game genres. The article explores what truly defines an MMORPG in the current landscape, with contributors suggesting elements like persistent virtual worlds, community, and a unique 'glue' holding disparate game elements together, rather than just player count.
- Riot Games unveils plans for League of Legends Classic after datamining leaks spring forthRiot Games has officially confirmed League of Legends Classic, a mode featuring older character models, skins, runes, and maps, following datamining leaks. Studio head Andrei van Roon confirmed that original character kits will return, with more details promised during the MSI Finals esports event on July 11th.
Turtle Beach's new keyboard has given me something I didn't know I wantedThe Turtle Beach Command Series KB7 TKL keyboard offers a premium build with Hall effect switches and a unique 4.3-inch touchscreen for customization and shortcuts, appealing to both competitive gamers and content creators. While the screen's necessity is debatable, its functionality for macros, application shortcuts, and website/folder access proves surprisingly useful over time, despite a high price point.
Dawn of War 2’s The Last Stand mode is still the best co-op MOBA that never wasThe Last Stand mode from Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is analyzed as a highly successful cooperative MOBA-like experience that predates many modern titles. Despite its age and limited maps, the mode's challenging gameplay and unique blend of RTS and MOBA elements continue to attract players, highlighting its innovative design.- League of Legends Classic RevealedRiot Games has announced a new game mode for League of Legends called League of Legends Classic. This mode aims to evoke the early days of the popular MOBA, offering a nostalgic experience for players.
League of Legends Classic is real: "This was the right time"Riot Games has officially announced League of Legends Classic, a mode that returns the game to its earlier state, including classic Runes and Summoner Mastery trees. The announcement was made via a developer update video featuring Executive Producer Paul Bellezza and Head of League Studio Andrei van Roon, after details were accidentally leaked onto the PBE. The Classic mode will feature updated "modern tech under the hood" and will be integrated into the same client as the current game.
Valve has "a nice thing going on on PC," Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney says, but "they're missing out on a lot of opportunity" without the likes of Fortnite and Genshin ImpactEpic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes Valve's Steam platform is missing significant opportunities by not including popular games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact. He argues that Steam's closed ecosystem limits its reach compared to more open platforms like the Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store, suggesting Valve could benefit from a more collaborative approach to digital distribution on PC.- PAX West 2026 Welcomes Riot Games’ Marc Merrill as Storytime SpeakerRiot Games Co-Founder Marc Merrill has been announced as the storytime speaker for PAX West 2026, which will take place at the Seattle Convention Center from September 4-7, 2026. Merrill, instrumental in the creation of games like League of Legends and VALORANT, will share a retrospective of his career. The event will also feature game demos, panels, concerts, and tournaments.
League of Legends' Vanguard anti-cheat finally gets the option to only run when you fire up a game, as Riot roll out "on-demand sessions" for "sufficiently secured" PCsRiot Games has introduced an optional 'on-demand' mode for its Vanguard anti-cheat software in League of Legends and Valorant. This new feature allows Vanguard to run only when a game is active, rather than starting with the PC, for users whose systems meet modern security requirements. Players with older hardware that does not meet these requirements will continue to use the always-on version of Vanguard.
There's a surprising amount of major games you can't play on Valve's Steam Machine - here are eight of the biggest, and whyValve's Steam Machine, despite its potential, faces significant limitations due to its SteamOS (a Linux variant) not supporting many popular games. This is primarily caused by anti-cheat software, which is incompatible with Linux, rendering titles like Destiny 2, Fortnite, Battlefield 6, Apex Legends, GTA Online, EA Sports FC 24, and modern Call of Duty games unplayable. While installing Windows is an option, it defeats the purpose of the console-like device.
You can finally turn Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat off when you're not playing a gameRiot Games is updating its Vanguard anti-cheat system to an 'on demand' model, meaning it will only run when playing League of Legends or Valorant and will shut down afterward. This change requires modern PC hardware and specific Windows security features like UEFI Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled. The update aims to reduce the intrusiveness of the kernel-mode software while maintaining its effectiveness against cheaters.
If I were in the market for a Prime Day 65-inch TV deal, I know exactly what I'd be buyingThis article discusses potential Prime Day deals on 65-inch TVs, highlighting Hisense's U6 Pro Series and E7 Cinema Series as strong contenders for gaming and movie watching due to features like QLED, 144Hz refresh rates, and Dolby Vision IQ. The Insignia F50 is also mentioned as a more budget-friendly 4K option with a 60Hz refresh rate suitable for most console games.
Riot walks back putting League of Legends' controversial 'last hit indicators' into ranked play, for nowRiot Games has reversed its decision to implement controversial 'last hit indicators' into ranked League of Legends play following significant community backlash. The feature, which marks when minions are within lethal damage range, will remain in non-ranked modes for further testing and data collection. The company stated that while they believe the tool doesn't degrade skill expression, they will gather more feedback before making a final decision on its inclusion in ranked matches.
SATIATE YOURSELF THIS SUMMER WITH WILD RIFT PATCH 7.2: FEAST ON!League of Legends: Wild Rift Patch 7.2, titled 'Feast On,' is set to release on July 9th UTC, introducing new champions Yunara and Cho'Gath, a visual update for Ahri, and a new AAA ARAM season. The patch also features gameplay changes including a rework of active items and the bounty system, alongside summer-themed updates to Summoner's Rift and new rewards for Ranked and Wild Pass.