League of Legends Developer Explains Why Champions Are Not Free, Sparking Player Outrage

Recent conversations surrounding the unlocking mechanism of champions and the Blue Essence system in League of Legends have generated a significant amount of discussion within the community. Maddy Marquissee, the growth lead at Riot Games focusing on the new player experience, took the time to address these pressing concerns.

Despite the popularity of the animated series Arcane, which attracted millions of viewers on Netflix, League of Legends still faces challenges in onboarding new players. Riot Games is well aware of this issue and has dedicated a team to enhance the new player experience, striving to retain newcomers and sustain the game’s longevity. Marquissee frequently shares insights and updates about her initiatives through her Twitter/X account.

Understanding Champion Accessibility in League of Legends

Currently, League of Legends boasts a staggering roster of 169 champions. For dedicated players eager to unlock all these characters, the financial burden can be overwhelming. To fully purchase every champion available—excluding the upcoming Mel Medarda—one would need approximately 119,265 RP, equating to around $860 when utilizing the store’s highest RP bundles.

Fortunately, players have the opportunity to acquire champions without spending money. While purchasing every character all at once is unnecessary, it’s clear that Riot Games anticipates player purchases to maintain the economic model of the game.

Alternatively, players can subscribe to PC Game Pass at a monthly fee of $10. However, this requires a continued subscription, and uncertainties regarding the partnership between Riot and Microsoft might lead to additional expenses later on. Thus, caution is advised to avoid future costs after having already paid for a subscription.

Many players can also earn champions through gameplay, albeit this process can be lengthy. Although Riot has recently improved the accumulation of Blue Essence, making it easier to earn champions, the overall experience can still be perceived as arduous.

This situation begs the question: why not make all champions free? Marquissee addressed this idea, stating her belief that such a change could inadvertently disadvantage new players by overwhelming them with choices during champion selection.

Agreed on the latter and I’m pitching some big projects in the space to improve it! But unlocking all champs at once actually hurts new players — no guidance towards champs who are easy to understand, just a long list of names in champ select that is overwhelming.

— Maddy Marquissee (@maddizzlee) January 13, 2025

This rationale did not sit well with a portion of the player base, many of whom expressed their disbelief in her reasoning. Some players contended that the real motive was Riot’s financial interests and not player experience, prompting Marquissee to stand by her data-driven approach.

My data would disagree 🤪

— Maddy Marquissee (@maddizzlee) January 14, 2025

Suggestions emerged indicating that providing players with a selective set of champions as they progress level-wise—such as offering 3 to 5 champions from various categories—might create a more manageable system while still maintaining engagement and interest.

Additionally, Marquissee emphasized that she is part of a team focused solely on improving the new player experience and not directly involved in the game’s monetization strategies. She shared that her team constantly reviews data showing that champion complexity affects player retention significantly.

I did a bit here, but also different champions have different retention rates for new players because some are inherently hard to understand! Then they leave the game because they don’t get it. I’m not going to share those graphs (I’m not allowed to) but we measure these things. https://t.co/lHRhTF4lqX

— Maddy Marquissee (@maddizzlee) January 14, 2025

Marquissee’s insights suggest that champion familiarity plays a crucial role in player retention, with complex champions deterring new players entirely. Her team is crafting a potential “personality test” to match newcomers with champions suited to their play style.

Nevertheless, proposals to gradually unlock champions for players could achieve similar outcomes without incurring high financial costs. This stands in stark contrast to the approaches employed by competitors like DOTA 2 and Marvel Rivals, which allow players to access all characters for free, while SMITE offers a one-off fee of $30 for permanent access.

Further complicating the situation are Riot’s recent changes regarding the Blue Essence rewards and Hextech Chests. While the changes aim to streamline the user experience, many players voiced frustration over the removal of free Hextech Chest opportunities—previously an accessible method for earning skins and other rewards.

Despite these challenges, Riot’s Battle Pass modifications mean that players can still earn skins through competitive play, adding value to their gameplay experience. This allows for a potential tradeoff between enhancing gameplay and monetization strategies across the entire gaming ecosystem.

For in-depth information on the ongoing changes and community responses, you can check out the complete discussion on this topic here.