Preseason: State of the Game

[enigma#]

 

Summoners,

 

We had some big aspirations for Season Two, but you blew us away with your incredible dedication and support.

 

Your enthusiasm and passion has helped legitimize eSports as something that’s every bit as entertaining and competitive as any traditional sport, and the world’s taking notice. Seriously. We’re more energized than ever for the future, and it’s all thanks to your outpouring of support – none of this would be possible without you.

 

Season Two was a lot of things. It was

between the most dedicated and talented teams in the world. We saw an incredible diversity of strategies and champion picks throughout the season, from the

popularized by Korean teams to the measured,

, and everything in-between: 58 champions were picked and banned during the World Playoffs and Finals.

 

Season Two was also an expansion and evolution of League of Legends. We continued our commitment to improving behavior and promoting good sportsmanship by building upon the foundation laid by the Tribunal. We launched the Honor initiative, which saw an immediate drop in reports . We introduced some unforgettable new champions. We launched features like Spectator Mode, and we upgraded a ton of content, from champion remakes , to art upgrades, to the Summoner’s Rift graphics update.

 

But we’re still just getting started. In fact, we’re always striving to improve the game over time. With Season Three on the horizon, expect League of Legends to continue to evolve.

 

You can expect some big steps in eSports with the Challenger Circuit and Championship Series, which will introduce weekly, regular season matches between the best League of Legends teams in the world, streamed for free in HD.

 

You can expect us to redouble our efforts around promoting good player behavior, and we’ll be asking for your continued help in making League of Legends the most sportsmanlike competitive community.

 

You can expect more great community events and content, from live events like PAX and Gamescom to direct player interaction on the League of Legends forums.

 

You can expect more upgrades to League of Legends, from content to features to the quality of art and visuals in the game.

 

But before Season Three kicks off, we’re about to head into the Preseason. This period between competitive seasons gives us a unique opportunity to introduce big gameplay changes that we believe will make League of Legends even more competitive, more dynamic, and more fun.

 

The first piece of the Preseason changes showed up with the Twisted Treeline remake, which is now in live beta. We’re watching how players are experiencing and exploring the new TT, and we’re listening intently to your feedback as we continue to work behind the scenes.

 

Morello and other members of the League of Legends design team will be starting a conversation about what else they’ve got in store over the coming days – and they’ll be looking for your feedback! They’ve already hinted at some of the big changes that are in the works for items, the jungle, masteries, and more, but we’ll give you the full rundown soon (and not Soon™, but, like, tomorrow), so stay tuned to the forums.

 

Thank you, Summoners, for your passionate support and vital feedback. See you on the Fields of Justice.

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Edited November 5, 2012 by enigma#