League of Legends players have today demanded Riot Games look into resurrecting long-dead game mode Twisted Treeline, though many fans conceded the three-vs-three playlist would need a “big update” to bring it up to modern standards.
In what has become a semi-regular fanfare in the wider League fandom since Twisted Treeline’s season nine removal, players across social media have declared the three-vs-three mode “needs to come back”—especially now that more and more of the community is walking away from ranked play and instead looking for more casual playlists to spend their League gaming time.
Much of the July 4 discussion was soaked in nostalgia, with some players declaring “the memories made there were iconic” while others reminisced about they would always warm up for solo queue with quick three-vs-three lobbies. Some even warned the developers they may quit the game entirely if they have to keep playing Rift matches.
There were some that spoke out against the idea though, with many pointing to Riot’s original reason for scrapping the mode: Not enough League players were actually loading onto Twisted Treeline. While the MOBA’s modes team never actuallly shared how bad playing numbers got towards the very end, the consensus was less than a few thousand gamers were ever really in the queue at any one time. I certainly remember some fairly hefty queue times whenever I tried to play in 2019.
The answer, hopeful League players said, is a modern Twisted Treeline update. Suggestions included simply “closing off the top half of the map” on Summoner’s Rift, while others demanded Riot give Treeline as much love as League Arena.
It’s a great idea, especially considering how well Arena has gone in its several reruns and League’s new Swarm mode suggests Riot is very willing to try new (and old) things in its flagship title. However, the final question would be how much time it would actually take—something Riot has yet to address.
And, regarding Treeline’s infamous funnel metagame, the devs would have to put some serious work into mode-specific balance if it ever returned.
For now, we’ll have to give Swarm a try when it arrives on July 17.
