League of Legends Removes Hextech Chests Due to Sustainability Concerns

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Summary

  • Riot Games removed Hextech chests in League of Legends due to long-term sustainability concerns.
  • The developer explained that players had come to rely on chests as one of the only ways to obtain skins, which impacted the game’s revenue.
  • Riot doesn’t plan to revert entirely to a time before the feature existed, but skins will now be more difficult to obtain.

Riot Games recently released a video addressing League of Legends players concerning the removal of Hextech chests, explaining that keeping them in the game wasn’t viable long-term. Following the contentious choice to discontinue the popular Hextech chests, Riot Games clarified their reasoning behind this decision and shared their plans for League of Legends going forward.

Since its debut in 2009, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game known as League of Legends has seen numerous transformations over its over 15-year lifespan on the market. Initially modeled after another popular game called Dota, it has since risen to become one of the top MOBA games in the gaming industry. Although League of Legends (LoL) is a free-to-play game, players can spend real money to purchase skins and champions. Alternatively, players could acquire skins through Hextech chests, essentially loot boxes that were earned simply by playing the game. However, Riot Games has recently chosen to phase out this feature.

After Riot Games made a change, many League of Legends players expressed their disapproval by threatening to boycott, as Hextech chests were essential for them to obtain skins. In response to the public outcry, Riot posted a video during its Developer Update, featuring two team members discussing the motives behind this contentious action. These developers recognized the significance of Hextech chests for specific players but emphasized that they weren’t a financially viable approach for the game’s continued success.

League of Legends Removes Hextech Chests Due to Sustainability Concerns

Developers noted that many players were relying on free chests to acquire League of Legends skins, causing a significant drop in skin purchases. This shift poses a threat to the game’s profitability, leading to a notable decrease in revenue, or what they referred to as “significant diminishing returns.” However, it’s important to note that this change doesn’t signal a return to the pre-existing state of obtaining skins; Riot Games has made it clear that things will not revert completely to how they were prior to this feature. While this adjustment may directly affect players who primarily use Hextech chests for skin acquisition, it does not necessarily mean a full reversal of the current system.

Regarding the updates in League of Legends for 2025, Riot Games has pledged to improve the quality of forthcoming skins due to feedback from the community about the recent ones. However, specific details on when these improvements will be implemented and what alternative method players can use to obtain free skins following the discontinuation of Hextech chests remain uncertain.

While Riot’s justification appears logical given the demands and investments associated with modern video games, it’s not hard to understand why eliminating a beloved feature might provoke opposition. It remains uncertain how the League of Legends community will respond following this recent announcement.

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2025-02-07 23:45