League of Legends fans irate at $500 bundle celebrating its greatest player

League of Legends (LoL) fans were upset when they saw the $500 price tag Riot Games placed on a new content bundle celebrating esports player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, League’s winningest player all-time, after their induction into the game’s new Hall of Legends.

“Faker is truly the most iconic and influential figure in League of Legends and esports history,” said John Needham, President of Esports at Riot Games. “His name is synonymous with excellence in LoL Esports, and he has rightfully earned his place as our very first Hall of Legends inductee.”

The Esports icon has a dedicated following, so this induction to commemorate him as one of the pro players of note marks a significant milestone for the LoL brand.

“Faker is more than the winningest player in League history: he’s the face of his sport. His journey, full of triumph and trials, resilience and glory, has touched the hearts of millions of fans and fellow players,” said the LoL post.

The bundle to celebrate Faker will be split into multiple buying options—the Hall of Legends Pass, Risen, Immortalized, and Signature.

Hall of Legends:

• Risen Legend LeBlanc Skin
• SKT T1 Zed, Ryze & Syndra Skins
• 125 Mythic Essence
• 14 Faker-ific Icons & Emotes
• “Broccoli Baron” Title
• Hide on bush Ward
• Unkillable Demon King Banner
• 6 Orbs

Risen:

• Hall of Legends Pass
• Risen Legend Ahri Skin
• Takedown Counter Taunt
• Ahri (Champion)
• Exclusive Border
• Exclusive Icon & Emote

Immortalized:

• Immortalized Legend Ahri Skin
• Exclusive Structure Finisher VFX
• Exclusive Champ Finisher VFX
• Custom Visual Announcer
• Unique Skin Transformations:
• 3 Demon King Forms w/ unique VO
• Demon’s Chosen Transformation
• w/ Demon King HUD during Ult
• Risen Legend Collection
• Holographic Immortalized Splash Art
• Dynamic Profile Background
• Immortalized Border
• Exclusive Icon & Emote

Signature:

• Signature Ahri Skin Upgrades:
• Faker’s Signature Move (Ctrl+5)
• Faker’s Structure Finisher
• “Final Boss Faker” Title
• Signature Immortalized Border
• Signature Banner
• Signature Splash Art
• (Ahri & LeBlanc)
• Immortalized Legend Collection
• 100 Pass Levels
• Risen Legend LeBlanc Paragon Chroma
• SKT T1 Zed, Ryze, & Syndra Paragon Chromas
• Exclusive Icon & Emote

Not all of the LoL community has been celebrating though, as the game’s Reddit feed can attest. Fans took to the social platform to vent their ire, with statements like “The Hall of Legends event was never about celebrating Faker, it was about making money.”

Reddit user SwiftRespite said: “Riot putting the full skin behind a paywall is the biggest insult imaginable to us. Riot chose to exploit our love for Faker for their own gain.

This was suppose to be something to remember Faker by, when he has retired and proof that we were here and cheering for him when he was still playing and lifted those Trophies.”

At the highest tier (Signature), the bundle in question costs around $500  and has 100 levels of the event progression unlocked. There are other levels of the celebration skin. Still, the lowest-priced character skin, the Risen, is $40, which is very steep for the average LoL fan.

This has led to some players boycotting the bundle, with users like Arcuran stating, “I already have Fakers Ahri skin. It’s called the base skin, and in honour of Faker, that’s the skin I will be using.”

Image: League of Legends.

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