Players Are Pushing Back Against LOL Devs over Hextech Chest Removal, Requesting Compensations

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As we approach Season 2025, Riot Games quietly took away the option for players to obtain Hextech Chests without cost, a decision that has left many gamers still expressing their disapproval.

Almost every tweet from the League of Legends Twitter handle, no matter the subject, tends to attract replies where players humorously express their longing for the return of Hextech Chests.

— SweepSalt (@NthButAHornDog) February 5, 2025

In most cases, these posts significantly surpass Riot’s initial tweet in performance, as gamers unite to critique the company’s decision. Removing something that was previously free has rarely been met with favor, but it seems to have backfired particularly badly for Riot regarding public opinion.

In a recent development update discussing the alteration, they provided an upfront and straightforward response regarding the motivation: Indeed, it revolved around finances.

Why were free Hextech Chests removed from LoL?

For an extended period, individuals would work hard to acquire Hextech Chests as a means to secure complimentary skins. The skin fragments within these chests were unpredictable, and it might take quite some time to get something desirable; however, players were resilient and eager to persevere in order to gather free loot.

In contrast, it was later disclosed by Riot Games that not purchasing skins immediately upon release but instead waiting for them, had a significant negative impact on their financial status, which ultimately led to the unexpected adjustment.

Players have taken this news about as well as you’d expect.

In this recent development update, RiotChest and RiotPredatoryMonetization express their sincere apologies for the removal of free Hextech Chests. They acknowledge that they erred significantly in this decision and are committed to reintroducing free chests as quickly as feasible. As a gesture of goodwill towards the community, they also plan to compensate everyone for this oversight, which went against our shared values.

— League Of Legends De Oliveira “LOL ENGRaÇADA” Jr😁 (@LOL_ENGRAcADA) February 7, 2025

Here’s an excerpt from their explanation:

According to developer Pabro from Riot, since League is a free game, cosmetic items called skins serve as the main source of revenue that keeps the game and its broader community growing and developing.

For several years now, the number of players in League has remained fairly consistent, which we greatly appreciate. Similarly, our expenses related to maintaining and improving League have stayed relatively constant over time. Yet, securing a steady income flow for reinvestment into the game has been a more recent hurdle we’ve faced.

Initially, the individual who seemed to interfere (Meddler) had clarified their reason for introducing Hextech Chests – it was aimed at rewarding committed players. However, over time, this feature turned out to offer an exceptional gaming experience that unfortunately wasn’t maintainable from his perspective.

To ensure a top-notch gaming experience for players, both developers clarified that they needed to reduce the number of skins distributed. The effort to maintain the allure of Hextech Chests is a significant factor behind the introduction of premium skins at high costs and gacha systems.

However, they ultimately decided that removing these chests was necessary.

According to Meddler, the focus here is on maintaining the long-term wellbeing of the League, ensuring it continues to thrive as a free-to-play game. He hopes this explanation provides valuable insight into our thought process behind this change. Despite being an unpopular decision, he believes it’s the correct move for the game’s future success.

The players have expressed disagreement with this particular explanation given by the developers. The intention behind the explanation was likely to clarify their reasoning for taking away Hextech Chests and reduce the turmoil that ensued, however, it seems to have instead fueled more dissatisfaction among the players.

One Reddit user expressed their frustration by saying, “The justification they provide for charging money for chests is completely unjustified. They should either continue offering free rewards or increase the price of paid items, not both.

Removing the Hextech Chests while keeping the high-tier skins’ prices unchanged has become a significant issue, particularly as Riot previously sold Faker’s Ahri skin for nearly $500, which many players find challenging.

Another player stated, “Fellows, it’s important for us to incorporate premium skins labeled as ‘exalted’ and ‘gacha’ in the game, and phase out the old chest system. We’re not being avaricious, we just want the game to thrive long term.

As a gamer, I’ve got some exciting news! The developers are putting in extra effort to enhance the Battle Pass, making it an even sweeter deal than before. They’re tweaking missions to be less of a grind and getting rid of unloved mission types, so earning XP becomes a breeze!

Compared to the old system, the current Battle Pass provides significantly greater value, making the recent update not entirely unfavorable.

It’s unlikely we’ll see an end to the Hextech Chest memes any time soon. If the developers had announced the removal of these chests before the Season 2025 update instead of letting players find out on their own, their reasoning might have been more easily accepted by the community.

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2025-02-08 02:39