The League of Legends developers team opened up about the struggles and joy of working on Arena, League’s latest gamemode, in a Reddit AMA today. Among the hundreds of questions and answers, some hinted at a bright future for Arena, giving players the hope to see this mode permanently added to the client.
It’s no surprise the latest gamemode has quickly become a popular choice among League players, who have been asking for new maps and ways to play their favorite game for quite some time. In less than a week, the cinematic announcing the arrival of the Tournament of Souls has reached almost 5 Million views on YouTube, showing League’s players love for the gamemode even outside of the client.
Many asked Riot whether Arena would become a permanent addition to the game—and today the mode’s developer team answered. “From a technical perspective we approached this mode as if it could be permanent,” commented a Rioter on Reddit. This decision would also make it easier to bring Arena back to the client in case Riot decides to remove the gamemode after the 2023 Summer event.
Other comments from the dev team highlighted how Riot looked at Arena as a long-term project rather than a standalone event. From considering how the champion select might look in the future, to plans for more unique items to bring to the gamemode, it looks like Arena is here for the long run.
Even adding new maps, or arenas, to the gamemode seems to have been on Riot’s mind since the first conception of the 2v2v2v2 mode—but it seems time might be against the team for these potential new additions. “We’d love to add new maps and adjust existing ones should Arena return,” said a Rioter, “but at the end of the day we only have so much time we can invest into Arena and the various opportunities within it.”
While Riot has not yet made Arena a permanent gamemode, like ARAM, and there are no signs of it being a recurring event for League players to enjoy every year, it’s evident that the wish of the community points in that direction. As fans eagerly await for more optimistic news on Arena, they can enjoy the gamemode until Aug. 28.
