League of Legends developer Riot Games is opening its (virtual) doors on its balance process. In an announcement earlier this week, communications strategist Hanna Woo explained that for the game’s next update cycle, players will be able to watch the patch take place in real time.
Woo says that “starting this week, we’ll be documenting the life of a patch cycle.” To that end, the developer will be aggregating tweets from designers, engineers, and QA and data analysts working on League of Legends patch 9.13 between now and June 19, giving players an insight into the patch as it takes place.
It’s a genuinely interesting insight into the processes behind one of the fastest-evolving online game on offer. League of Legends patch changes have stuck to a pretty rigid two-week cadence for several years, and turning around regular updates without breaking the game isn’t always smooth sailing, as some of the conversations already on display show. Even after years of play, I myself have actually learned something from skimming through (Lulu’s ultimate has a slow – who knew).
Last week, Riot discussed its approach to balance changes in more detail, and revealed that League of Legends would no longer solely be balanced for the top 10% of players. It’s an interesting attempt to shine a light on one of the most nebulous aspects of the game, and I have to say that so far, I’m a fan.
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Patch 9.13 is still three weeks or so away from launch, so until then, you can stay up to date with the game with the League of Legends patch 9.11 notes. If you’d rather look ahead, check out the League of Legends patch 9.12 notes instead, for a little insight into major changes for Ryze and Wukong.