Riot Games launches a new skin line to celebrate ‘Fakers’ entering the Hall of Legends. However, players go on the barricades because Ahri costs 430 euros
The new Ahri skin with the signature of Sang-hyeok ‘Faker’ Lee costs €430. What sounds high is nothing unusual at first: cosmetic content or small gimmicks have always been one of the most important sources of revenue for free-to-play games such as League of Legends (LoL). But the latest skin in honor of ‘Faker’s’ entry into the Hall of Legends is causing a lot of resentment among fans.
So much so that at the beginning of June, a Reddit user called for Ahri to be banned immediately to protest against the high price. The post received around 1,800 upvotes and over 450 comments. Opinions were divided, but the majority of respondents thought the skin was too expensive
Criticism on other points too
Streamer Frederik ‘Noway’ Hinteregger also commented on the expensive skin: “I would have liked it if you had gotten everything via the Battlepass.” For him, it would have been important to relive ‘Faker’s’ career and “earn the skins bit by bit […]. A well-rounded project that would be affordable for everyone.”
Not only the pricing is criticized, but also the fact that ‘Faker’ didn’t even use the skin himself in the match against the Kwangdong Freecs. His response to this in an interview with the organizer after the match: “I’ve never used a skin […] so I just didn’t think about it. “
Ahri becomes a popular ban
After the release of the Ahri skin on June 12, there were already clear developments. Ahri’s ban rate more than doubled in Europe and North America, shooting up from 12 to 34 percent. In Korea, it only rose from 7% to 11%.
‘Noway’ believes that the apparently higher acceptance in Korea is due to the way in-game purchases are viewed. According to him, it is far more common in the Far East to spend money on digital prestige than in Europe. Here, such things are viewed more negatively
Riot Games responds to the criticism
The developer announced in an interview that this type of skin was only aimed at a small proportion of players and that it was just one of many. Riot Games also pointed out that League of Legends, as a free-to-play title, has always been financed by the sale of cosmetic content and that there are no plans to enter a pay-to-win spiral.
One consequence of this approach is that players would be able to enjoy many events and benefits such as eSports, cinematics and other content for free. This would not be possible without the sale of cosmetic content.
Riot showed understanding for the fans’ anger. They had been used to a certain price range for 14 years. Anything above that would be met with “displeasure”. They stand by the decision, as the skin is also an investment in eSports. Anyone who wants to buy the expensive Ahri skin will not be subject to any coercion or psychological influence as with loot boxes. And for all those who can do without the signature of ‘Faker’: The Ahri variant is also available for 280 euros.
The current discussion about the skin thus indirectly follows on from a wave of outrage last year. Back then, Riot released a Jhin skin that could be purchased via a gacha system. The skin was only available in certain event loot boxes, in which it could only rarely be obtained. Only when at least 30 boxes had been purchased for the equivalent of 200 euros was there a guaranteed drop. This was also criticized in the scene, but was a different case compared to the ‘Faker’ award. Loot boxes are the subject of controversial debate throughout eSports, with politicians in Bavaria even calling for a ban for minors
