It has been over a year since Riot officially took over and re-released League of Legends in Vietnam. With many changes occurring for both the casual gaming community and the professional environment, players in Vietnam have gradually become accustomed to the official publisher of LOL. However, there have been many instances where players have expressed nostalgia for the old Garena, especially when Riot’s mechanisms encounter issues, as seen recently with Vanguard.
In the days leading up to the return of new tournaments, VCS audiences have had the opportunity to discuss some current topics of interest. Among them, a particularly hot topic in a large League of Legends forum in Vietnam is the translation of the game today compared to its early days under Garena. Many have noticed that, regardless of the past, Garena performed better than Riot in terms of translations. Specifically, several players have provided examples showing that Garena’s translations for LoL back in the day were much more interesting than they are now.
First, it’s the names of the champions’ abilities. It goes without saying that everyone is likely impressed by Twitch’s “Blind Shot” or Kassadin’s “Void Spell.” In fact, many believe that Kayn’s ability set has a distinctly martial arts flair, which sounds very appealing (Slash – Break – Spell – Enter). Next, we recall the runes that once made waves in the League of Legends community. Names like “Divine Lightning” and “Bloodthirsty Warrior” are probably unforgettable memories for Vietnamese LOL players.
After numerous adjustments, Riot has retained most of the old names, except for mechanisms that had to be removed, so older champions remain largely unchanged. However, for some new champions, the skill names are no longer as smooth, often replaced by translations that are either too literal or paraphrased without truly meeting player needs. For example, we can mention the skill set of Smolder. The ultimate ability of this champion, of course, has a 100% accurate translation from Riot upon re-release (named “Mommy”) but many viewers still feel a bit awkward when the commentator reads this skill or mentions this ability.
The localization of champion names, skills, or mechanisms in League of Legends is an incredibly important factor in the game. And by this criterion, many gamers seem to miss Garena more than Riot at this point.