The Future of Ranked Play in League of Legends
League of Legends, the popular multiplayer online battle arena game, is set to undergo significant changes in its ranked system. The changes aim to improve the player experience and maintain the competitive integrity of the game. The updates were announced by Riot Auberaun, Product Lead for the Game Loop team, and Riot Revenancer, Systems Lead for the Motivations initiative.
Changes to Promotion Series and Matchmaking
The first change is the reduction of the promotion series from best of 5 to best of 3. This change is designed to resolve promotion series more quickly. The developers are also considering making the promotion series resolve even faster, possibly instantly.
In addition, the visible rank influence in matchmaking has been removed. This change was made to improve the experience for returning players, but it has led to an increase in smurfing. The developers are aware of this issue and are working on solutions.
New Rewards and Victorious Skin
The Victorious Skin for Season 2023 - Split 1 will be Victorious Anivia. The developers are also introducing a new rewards track, although they have not yet provided an official statement on how these changes have been received by the player community.
Adjustments to Rank Progression
Earlier in the season, changes were made to make it easier for players to move both up and down in rank. However, these changes have had some unintended side effects, such as increasing LP variance and causing LP losses to be greater than LP wins if a player's MMR isn't near the level of the rank they're trying to climb to. The developers are currently evaluating these effects.
Introduction of Emerald Rank
A new rank, Emerald, will be introduced between Diamond and Platinum. This change is part of an effort to flatten the rank curve and make the meaning of each rank more consistent with player expectations. The highest ranks will retain their exclusivity and prestige, and the distribution of these ranks will not change.
Changes to Rank Reset and Placement Games
The developers are introducing a partial reset of ranks between splits. This reset will be smaller than usual, effectively starting players at a higher rank than they would have started at in previous resets. The number of placement games will also be reduced from 10 to 5, and promotion series will be removed.
In conclusion, these changes are designed to improve the player experience and maintain the competitive integrity of the game. The developers are committed to listening to player feedback and making adjustments as necessary.
The 2023 LCK season has begun! Check out what happened in the first match here!
