Faker Surprises with Appearance in Riot’s “Beloved” Game
Since its introduction to its official launch, League of Legends: Wild Rift has always been seen as Riot’s “beloved” game, and the publisher has also aimed for Wild Rift to gradually dethrone League of Legends in the future. In addition to exclusive champion skins, Riot has recently officially brought its “pride” into Wild Rift: pro player Faker and his champion Ryze.
In the past, Faker had promoted League of Legends: Wild Rift at the time of its launch. However, since then, he had not mentioned Riot’s “beloved” game anymore. Therefore, Faker’s “return” has surprised many of his fans. At the same time, this has led to speculations about how Riot will integrate Faker and Ryze into the game.
Questions About Faker’s Appearance as a Sign of Riot’s “Surrender”
Another wave of opinions has emerged in a somewhat negative direction. Specifically, some have raised the question: “Does Wild Rift not create its own icon that it has to use Faker? Does this mean Riot is indirectly admitting failure in trying to separate this game from League of Legends?”.
In fact, until now, it can be said that Riot has somewhat failed in attracting players to Wild Rift. The PC League of Legends community is not very enthusiastic, while Wild Rift’s use of champions’ abilities from PC is too complex for players who typically prefer mobile games that demand simplicity. Not to mention, the tournament system has not left a significant mark, and there are no top teams that can truly “pull views” like T1, G2, or BLG.
When even Riot has to “borrow” Faker to capture attention for Wild Rift, it is not just a marketing strategy — it could also be a silent admission that League of Legends still casts a huge shadow, at least no game has surpassed it yet.