LoL devs defend $450 Faker skin and players are fuming
Riot GamesRiot Games has defended their high price tag of $450 for Faker’s Hall of Legends skins and LoL players are fuming at their justifications.
When the first Hall of Legends skin came out, which obviously went to Faker, players instantly realized just how expensive it was, with the highest tier for players to get everything setting them back 59260 RP (around $450).
Despite players’ excitement to see Faker’s legacy celebrated in-game, much of the community maligned at the price, to the point some were planning on boycotting the skin by banning Ahri from their games.
Amongst the criticisms levied at Riot, they’ve justified the jaw-dropping price, however, players are still furious about their reasoning.
Riot GamesIn a Reddit post about the recent dev update that revealed the LCS’ future and Arcane Season 2’s trailer, Riot Meddler explained the thought process behind the pricing of the Hall of Legends skin.
In four points, he explains the cost would help cover the cost of running their esport, that a dedicated event for Hall of Legends was great, that their offering of three different price points gave choices to players, and that they believe they should offer really expensive versions for collectors.
“There’s a good opportunity to both celebrate pro players and help cover the costs of esports,” Meddler said.
He also further explained about the $450 bundle, “This is a time where we believe we should also offer really expensive versions, akin to Collectors editions/collectibles in other contexts.”
“Those are created for a very small part of the audience that wants that sort of price point in exchange for a lot more exclusivity.” Meddler says they know it would cause “frustrations” but said it was an essential part of making the esports “financially sustainable”.
However, fans weren’t too pleased by Meddler’s reasoning. “The [Hall of Legends] is supposed to be a celebration of players who have dedicated everything to your game, and instead of the player base being able to celebrate the best players of all time, 99.9% of them are excluded from participating,” a player wrote in response to Meddler.
Others pointed out that in gaming, Collector items are usually tied to physical items, however since the in-game skin wouldn’t give you anything physical. There is a physical statue of Faker’s skin, and it’s cheaper than the most expensive bundle.