League's New $500 Skin Explained

Necrit
29 May 202418:53

Summary

TLDRThe video discusses the controversial release of high-priced skins in the game League of Legends, connected to the Hall of Legends event honoring the renowned player Faker. Starting with a $20 event pass offering 100 unlockable rewards, the discussion moves to a $50 standalone skin with unique features and a $300 skin with evolving transformations. The most expensive, a $520 bundle, includes exclusive content like a signature move and additional icons. The video criticizes the predatory pricing, the limited availability of the skins, and the lack of transparency regarding profit distribution to Faker, suggesting that Riot Games may be exploiting fans' loyalty.

Takeaways

  • 🎮 The script discusses the release of new skins in 'League of Legends', specifically those connected to the player Faker.
  • 🎬 It mentions a mini-documentary and a cinematic trailer that were released to promote these skins.
  • 🏆 The 'Hall of Legends' event is introduced, honoring Faker as one of the best players in 'League of Legends' and gaming in general.
  • 💰 The pricing for the skins is a focal point, with a range from a new event pass for $20 to a high-end bundle costing nearly $520.
  • 🛍️ The 'Hall of Legends' event pass offers 100 levels of rewards, including a special skin and various Faker-themed items.
  • 💎 A standalone skin with legendary features is available for $50, which includes the battle pass, effectively making the skin $30.
  • 🔝 The most expensive skin, priced at $300, offers multiple evolutions, unique voice lines, and a Prestige version during the champion's ultimate ability.
  • 🎨 The top-tier bundle for $520 includes additional features like Faker's signature move, a special recall, and an 'immortalized' border and icon.
  • 📉 The script criticizes the predatory pricing practices, especially the limited-time availability of the $520 skin, which could exploit player impulsiveness.
  • 🔄 The event is set to return annually, implying that similar high-priced skins will be released every year.
  • 🤔 The script questions the ethics of such high-priced digital goods and the impact on the perception of Faker and Riot Games.

Q & A

  • What is the Hall of Legends event in League of Legends?

    -The Hall of Legends event is a new initiative by Riot Games to honor Faker, a renowned League of Legends player, and it includes a series of in-game purchases and rewards.

  • What is the significance of the Risen Legend LeBlanc skin in the Hall of Legends event pass?

    -The Risen Legend LeBlanc skin is the main prize of the Hall of Legends event pass, and it is an epic quality skin that comes with additional rewards such as SKTT1 skins for champions Faker played, Mythic Essence, and various Faker-themed items.

  • How much does the Hall of Legends event pass cost and what does it include?

    -The Hall of Legends event pass costs about $20 and includes 100 levels of unlockable rewards such as the Risen Legend LeBlanc skin, SKTT1 skins, Mythic Essence, new icons, emotes, and loot orbs.

  • What is the controversy surrounding the standalone skin that costs $50?

    -The controversy lies in the fact that the $50 skin, while having some legendary quality features, is not a full rework and is essentially a marketing trick to make players buy it in a bundle with the Hall of Legends battle pass.

  • What are the unique features of the $50 skin that justifies its price?

    -The $50 skin comes with a special taunt that displays the number of takedowns, a unique border, an icon, and an emote, which are considered standard features these days.

  • What is the highest price tier for the Hall of Legends skins and what does it include?

    -The highest price tier is almost $520, which includes an upgraded version of the skin with unique transformations, voice lines, a custom visual announcer, a unique animation for destroying towers and killing enemies, and additional cosmetic items.

  • What is the criticism regarding the $520 bundle for the Hall of Legends skins?

    -The criticism is that the $520 bundle is seen as predatory, exploiting players' impulsiveness with a limited-time offer and the promise of never returning cosmetics, which could lead to regretful purchases.

  • How does the $500 skin differ from the $250 skin in terms of features?

    -The $500 skin includes additional features such as Faker's signature move, a structure finisher with red smoke and a signature pop-up, a final boss Faker title, and a special chroma recall for all the T1 skins of the champions that Faker played.

  • What is the concern about the profit distribution from the Hall of Legends skins?

    -The concern is that only 30% of the profits will go to the entire team, which implies that Faker himself might receive an even smaller portion, leading to a perception that Riot is profiting off of Faker rather than supporting him.

  • What is Riot Games' plan for the Hall of Legends event in the future?

    -Riot Games plans to make the Hall of Legends event an annual occurrence, potentially releasing a new high-priced skin every year.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Introduction to Faker's Skins and Hall of Legends Event

The script begins with an introduction to the unveiling of Faker skins in the game League of Legends. It discusses the series of promotional content released, including a mini-documentary and cinematic trailer, leading up to the skin reveal. The Hall of Legends website is highlighted as a new initiative to honor Faker, considered one of the best players in the game. The website showcases Faker's achievements and introduces the Hall of Legends event, which involves both celebrating the player and introducing new microtransactions.

05:03

💰 Analysis of the Hall of Legends Microtransactions

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the microtransactions introduced with the Hall of Legends event. It starts with the Hall of Legends event pass, a new battle pass offering 100 levels of rewards for about $20. The pass includes the Risen Legend LeBlanc skin, SKTT1 skins, Mythic Essence, and various Faker-themed items. The paragraph then discusses a standalone skin with legendary features, which is priced at $50 but effectively $30 when bundled with the event pass. The skin includes unique features such as a special taunt showing the player's takedowns.

10:04

🚀 The High-Priced Skin and Its Evolutionary Features

The script moves on to discuss a skin with a staggering price tag of $300, which is significantly higher than previous offerings. This skin is unique as it evolves based on player achievements, changing its appearance and features. The skin's evolutions are detailed, including a transformation that occurs during the player's ultimate ability. The bundle for this skin includes unique voice lines, a custom visual announcer, and animations for destroying towers and killing enemies. It also contains all items from the previous bundle, such as the border, icon, emote, and battle pass.

15:05

💸 The $520 Bundle and Controversial Pricing Practices

The final paragraph addresses the top-tier bundle priced at nearly $520, which adds even more exclusive features to the skin, such as Faker's signature move and a special title. The paragraph criticizes the pricing strategy, suggesting it preys on players' impulse to own exclusive content. It also mentions that the skin and associated items are available for a limited time only, heightening the fear of missing out (FOMO) and potentially leading to predatory practices. The script concludes with a call for Riot Games to reconsider their approach, emphasizing the negative impact on players and the community.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Faker

Faker, also known as Lee Sang-hyeok, is a renowned professional League of Legends player who is often considered the best player in the world. In the video's context, Faker is central to the discussion as Riot Games is releasing skins and other in-game content in his honor, celebrating his achievements and contributions to the game.

💡Skins

In the context of video games, particularly League of Legends, skins are cosmetic items that change the appearance of a character. The video discusses the release of new skins associated with Faker, which are not only a way to personalize the gaming experience but also a means for Riot Games to monetize their content.

💡Microtransactions

Microtransactions refer to the practice of offering small, optional purchases within a game, often for cosmetic items or convenience features. The video script critiques the introduction of high-priced microtransactions for skins, suggesting that they are exploitative and predatory.

💡Hall of Legends

The Hall of Legends is a new initiative by Riot Games that is introduced in the video. It is a website dedicated to honoring Faker, which also serves as a platform for the introduction of the high-priced skins and other related microtransactions.

💡Riot Games

Riot Games is the developer and publisher of League of Legends. The video discusses the company's decision to release expensive skins and other in-game content, suggesting that their pricing strategies may be exploitative of their player base.

💡Epic Quality Skin

An epic quality skin in League of Legends is a skin that offers more than just a visual change; it may include special animations, sound effects, and other enhancements. The video mentions an epic quality skin as part of the rewards in the Hall of Legends event pass.

💡Mythic Essence

Mythic Essence is a premium currency in League of Legends that can be used to unlock certain skins. The video mentions 125 Mythic Essence as part of the rewards for purchasing the Hall of Legends event pass.

💡Battle Pass

A battle pass is a type of in-game purchase that offers a series of rewards as players progress through a game's seasonal events. The video discusses the Hall of Legends event pass, which is a new battle pass with 100 levels of unlockable rewards.

💡Pricing Strategy

Pricing strategy refers to the method or strategy used by a company to set the price of its products or services. The video script criticizes Riot Games' pricing strategy for the new skins, suggesting that it is designed to exploit the player's desire to own exclusive content.

💡Predatory Practices

Predatory practices are business tactics that exploit customers, often by manipulating their emotions or taking advantage of their weaknesses. The video script uses this term to describe the marketing of the expensive skins, suggesting that Riot Games is exploiting its player base's loyalty to Faker.

💡Limited Time Offer

A limited time offer is a marketing strategy where a product or service is available for purchase only for a certain period. The video script mentions that the Hall of Legends skins are a limited time offer, which is seen as a way to pressure players into making impulsive purchases.

Highlights

Riot Games revealed the details of Faker's skins, starting with a mini documentary and a cinematic trailer.

The Hall of Legends website honors Faker, considered one of the best League of Legends players.

The Hall of Legends event pass offers 100 levels of unlockable rewards for about $20.

Risen Legend LeBlanc is the main prize of the event pass, an epic quality skin.

The pass includes all SKTT1 skins for Champions Faker played and 125 Mythic Essence.

14 new icons and emotes, including the Broccoli Baron title, are part of the event pass.

A standalone skin with legendary features is priced at $50, including the battle pass.

The $300 skin has multiple tiers for purchase, with unique features like evolving based on gameplay.

The most expensive skin, priced at $520, includes Faker's signature move and other exclusive features.

The $520 bundle also comes with 100 pass levels, allowing players to skip rewards.

30% of the profits from the skins will go to the entire team, with Faker receiving a smaller portion.

Riot plans to release a new $500 skin annually as part of the Hall of Legends event.

The Hall of Legends cosmetics are a limited-time purchase and will not be added to loot pools.

Criticism of the pricing strategy as predatory, exploiting players' impulsiveness.

Concerns that the high-priced skins could set a precedent for future in-game purchases.

A call for Riot to reconsider the limited availability and high cost of the Hall of Legends skins.

Transcripts

00:01

look I'm not sure what to

00:04

say can we go back to the $200 skins So

00:08

Yesterday ride Finally Revealed what is

00:11

happening with Faker skins it all

00:13

started with faker's mini documentary

00:15

getting a teaser then we got a semi

00:18

cinematic trailer for the Skins

00:20

connected to this then we got a reveal

00:22

of those skins and

00:25

then then we learned about the pricing

00:28

and after testing out just how many

00:31

players would be buying the $200 skins

00:34

ride decided to step up their game and

00:37

test out just how many players are able

00:40

to take a loan to get a skin so without

00:42

further Ado let's have a look at what is

00:45

actually happening here of course all of

00:48

this is tied to something new called the

00:50

Hall of Legends a website that is

00:53

currently giving honor to Faker perhaps

00:56

the best League of Legends player who is

00:59

also just why considered the best gamer

01:01

in the world in general it is truly

01:05

incredible to see what Faker was able to

01:07

accomplish so some kind of giving honor

01:10

makes sense here I mean if you just

01:13

scroll through the website you will see

01:14

some quick Recaps of what Faker did

01:17

after which the website immediately

01:19

dives into the halls of Legends event

01:23

that's right this is not just about

01:25

giving honors to the players it is also

01:28

about the players giving up their money

01:30

however as much as we may be joking here

01:33

the first microtransaction that's

01:35

revealed here is pretty good at least

01:37

compared to other League standards

01:40

because remember all in-game purchases

01:42

are subjective because Riot are the one

01:44

setting up the prices so first we got

01:47

the Hall of Legends event pass that's

01:51

right we got a whole new battle pass

01:53

with this which is still priced within

01:56

League's reasonable window although it

01:59

is still a about $5 more expensive than

02:01

all the other passes so for about $20

02:05

expect 100 levels of unlockable rewards

02:10

and here I really want you to remember

02:13

that this has 100 rewards okay just keep

02:18

that 100 in your head and here you

02:21

honestly get quite the Banger rewards

02:24

the main prize here is going to be the

02:26

Risen Legend LeBlanc which is your

02:29

standard epic quality skin together with

02:31

this you will also get all the sktt1

02:33

skins for all the Champions that Faker

02:36

played 125 Mythic Essence which is

02:39

pretty good that is about one half of

02:42

one of the most prestigious skins and a

02:44

lot of Faker themed items there are 14

02:48

new icons and emotes the broccoli Baron

02:51

title which is an obvious joke about

02:52

Faker and the broccoli the hide on Bush

02:55

Ward which I believe is reference to

02:57

Faker waiting in bushes with his rise

03:00

The unkillable Demon King Banner which

03:02

is another reference to his nickname and

03:04

six loot orbs Each of which should have

03:07

at least one skin inside so as you can

03:10

see for about $20 that is a lot I would

03:14

actually say that is a pretty good

03:16

purchase if you play League of Legends a

03:19

lot because remember it is still a

03:22

battle pass you have to play the game to

03:25

get all of these you don't just get them

03:29

even though

03:30

that's what you paid for but alas such

03:33

is the fate of battle passes

03:35

so so far so good

03:38

right wrong let's have a look at the

03:42

second

03:43

microtransaction here you can buy a

03:46

standalone skin a skin that has some

03:50

legendary quality features but it is not

03:52

a full rework of the animations still

03:56

this one will cost you $50

03:59

which in reality is a whole bundle you

04:02

can't actually buy this skin as a

04:05

standalone item now this bundle will

04:07

also give you the Hall of Legends battle

04:10

pass which means that technically the

04:12

skin is only

04:14

$30 but it is a marketing trick they

04:17

still made you buy things in bulk so in

04:20

reality the price stays at 50 and what

04:23

makes this one special is not just

04:25

faker's name attached to it it does have

04:28

some unique features the skin has a

04:31

special taunt that actually gives you a

04:34

number of all your takedowns

04:37

and that's kind of it you also have your

04:40

special border and an icon and an emote

04:42

but those are kind of a standard these

04:45

days and no I don't count getting the

04:47

actual champion as a bonus so on top of

04:50

the quality of a normal epic skin you

04:52

are just paying extra $10 for an emote

04:56

that shows you your takedowns which is

04:59

not the best but it is still not that

05:02

bad no if we want to go bad we need to

05:07

turn a

05:09

microtransaction into a macro

05:11

transaction and we do that by raising

05:14

the price six times that's right as the

05:18

gaming company Trend goes these days

05:21

this skin has multiple tears for

05:24

purchase I mean where did R get this

05:27

idea Ubisoft and yes we are jumping up

05:31

from the price of $50 all the way to

05:34

32,000 RP or in other words about

05:40

$300 that is already more than the $200

05:44

skins and this one is not even part of a

05:46

gacha system so you have to buy it for

05:48

that high price directly it's supposed

05:50

to be better I'm not sure if it is well

05:54

as it tends to be upon seeing this high

05:57

price people usually look at what they

05:59

can get for that price to see if it is

06:02

Justified so let's have a look at what

06:05

we get so for the extra

06:08

$250 you get an upgraded version of the

06:12

skin this skin has an extra feature it

06:16

evolves based on the video you get

06:18

credit for destroying structures or

06:20

killing opponents and after getting

06:22

enough points the skin evolves which

06:25

pretty much just turns her dress black

06:27

and it turns her Tails into a bunch of

06:29

foxes admittedly it looks pretty good

06:33

and there is also a third evolution

06:35

which essentially turns the skin into a

06:38

Prestige version but that's only up

06:41

during her ultimate so when the ultimate

06:44

goes off she transforms back although

06:47

while it's up apparently she also gets

06:49

unique HUD elements on screen now if you

06:52

look directly at all the things listed

06:54

here in this bundle you have the unique

06:57

Transformations which we just mentioned

06:59

but here we learned that each

07:00

transformation also has unique voice

07:02

lines but apparently the Skins also get

07:05

a custom visual announcer which I assume

07:08

is not a new voice for the announcer it

07:11

should really be just a new border

07:14

around the words first blood then this

07:17

skin also has a unique animation for

07:19

destroying towers and killing enemies it

07:22

is this fox slamming down which looks

07:24

like a finisher from valerant and all

07:27

things considered this should be an an

07:29

entirely new thing as far as I am aware

07:33

finishers don't exist in League of

07:36

Legends even though they exist in every

07:39

other Riot game so from a marketing

07:41

perspective I have to advise you don't

07:44

get baited into buying an expensive skin

07:47

because it has some features which other

07:49

skins don't eventually after this

07:52

feature gets tested it is extremely

07:55

likely we will see other finishers in

07:58

the game maybe it will be turned into a

08:01

separate cosmetic that's what would make

08:04

sense once the Pandora's Box gets opened

08:07

it will be everywhere and it happens in

08:09

literally every live service game ever

08:13

so don't buy it just for the finisher

08:16

anyway next it also gets mentioned that

08:17

you get everything from the previous

08:19

bundle so pretty much just the Border

08:23

icon and emote and also the battle pass

08:26

there is also a holographic immortalized

08:30

Splash art which sounds way too cool for

08:34

an animated Splash art which you are

08:36

only going to see during Champion Select

08:38

so you will see it exactly for like uh

08:40

60 seconds there is also a dynamic

08:43

profile background which I assume is the

08:46

exact same animation which you can see

08:47

on screen right now except you will see

08:50

it on your profile an immortalized

08:52

border so uh a cooler version of the

08:56

previous border and new icon and emote

08:59

OTE so a cooler version of the previous

09:03

icon and emote so

09:06

really you don't get much from the

09:08

previous pack and that should be what

09:11

justifies the

09:13

$250 it means you are paying for the

09:16

transformation feature and that is

09:18

honestly it you are raising it from an

09:21

epic skin to a legendary skin for

09:26

$250 but um if if you look down there uh

09:31

you know that's not it we all know that

09:33

there is also the third bundle

09:38

so let's rip the Band-Aid off so for

09:42

over double the price or

09:46

59,2 60 RP or in other words almost

09:52

$520 the new features better get

09:56

mindblowing and you know what they will

09:59

blow your mind I'm just not sure it's

10:01

going to be in a good way so on top of

10:04

the skin evolving for another

10:07

$250 which overall is more than the

10:10

minimum wage of many countries around

10:12

the world the skin gets a new faker's

10:16

signature move which shows Faker above

10:20

Ari yeah also you have fakers structure

10:24

finisher which gives you a bit of red

10:26

smoke around the tower when you destroy

10:28

it and a signature pops up next you also

10:31

have the final boss Faker title which

10:34

first of all that is a weird title would

10:37

I be the final boss Faker nekrit doesn't

10:41

really have the ring to it but also I am

10:43

pretty sure people will get bullied if

10:46

they are caught with this title just

10:48

like they have with the $200 gin skin

10:51

then of course there is yet another

10:53

border with yet more icons and emotes so

10:56

again the previous ones lose their value

10:59

there is also a new signature Splash art

11:01

which is exactly the same as the

11:03

previous one except this one is signed

11:06

just to remind you that is a digital

11:08

signature on your screen for $500 then

11:12

it mentions you also get everything from

11:14

the previous bundles which is pretty

11:16

much the transformation feature of the

11:18

skin and the battle pass you also get a

11:21

special chroma recol of the lablanc skin

11:24

and a special recaller for all the T1

11:27

skins of the Champions that fake play

11:30

but lastly and most importantly you also

11:35

get 100 pass levels now let me ask you a

11:41

question do you remember the thing I

11:44

told you to remember that's right why

11:48

play a game that gives you rewards which

11:50

you paid for when you can pay

11:54

$500 and just skip everything and get

11:57

all the rewards at once what's crazy

12:00

about this is that yes this is literally

12:02

just you buying a digital signature and

12:06

100 level boosts that is it that is

12:11

honestly wild like look if Faker doesn't

12:14

personally come to my room and sign the

12:16

tower I just destroyed I'm not sure if

12:19

it's worth it in fact now you might be

12:22

asking just who is this for well let me

12:25

tell you it's for all the people who buy

12:29

all the Skins regardless of what they

12:31

are to which you might argue those

12:34

people don't exist to which I would

12:37

reply oh yeah they do I have the

12:40

receipts those people are

12:42

real they scare me dude now throughout

12:46

all of this I have to let my opinion out

12:48

and the truth is I don't really care

12:52

what right is selling it's a skin and

12:55

fortunately a skin can't ruin gameplay

12:58

of of course there are exceptions so is

13:01

League worse because this skin got

13:03

released arguably not so I'm not mad at

13:07

ride or anything like that I just think

13:09

they've gone mad because I have no idea

13:12

who could even Greenlight this also I am

13:16

mad the drama is not over you'll see

13:18

some pretty awful things coming in in

13:20

just a second anyway this is supposed to

13:23

be a celebration of Faker instead it is

13:27

a celebration of the people who can for

13:29

to celebrate Faker and honestly I don't

13:32

think that's going to be many I still

13:34

think a lot of people will buy the base

13:36

$50 version that's going to be way more

13:39

people than you probably think a

13:42

slightly smaller chunk of all of those

13:44

people will actually go for the

13:46

$250 it sounds ridiculous but I actually

13:49

believe that but hopefully not too many

13:53

people get baited into the $500 bundle

13:56

that one is a joke and what's the

13:59

dumbest part about all of this is that I

14:03

don't think Faker even gets a cut from

14:05

this like if Faker gets 90% of all the

14:09

profits a lot more people would feel

14:11

better about their illusion that they

14:13

are actually supporting an individual

14:16

but it's more likely that Riot will get

14:18

most of the profits and many people will

14:21

feel like Riot is just leeching off of

14:24

Faker which in this case that's exactly

14:28

what they might be doing so um

14:30

apparently that is indeed what's

14:31

happening because on the website they

14:33

confirm that 30% of the profits will go

14:37

to the entire team which is reasonable

14:39

because Faker wouldn't be where he is

14:40

without the team but not only is the 30%

14:43

cut quite bad but that also means that

14:46

Faker directly gets even less so overall

14:49

the situation is not amazing but don't

14:52

worry we are not done with the drama

14:54

just yet because there is one more thing

14:57

we have to mention at the very very

14:59

bottom there is also an FAQ for this

15:02

skin and here they talk about how long

15:05

the event will be up for what the Hall

15:07

of Legends is about they even talk about

15:10

how the pricing was decided long story

15:13

short it is for those who are uh looking

15:16

to flex their

15:18

fandom for

15:21

$500 yeah do you remember feeling pride

15:23

and accomplishment also in another

15:26

question they mention that uh this

15:29

this will return annually yep ride plans

15:34

to release a new $500 skin every year

15:40

but that that's not the worst part

15:44

somehow things get far worse and I mean

15:48

this is the bottom of the barrel of

15:51

predatory practices because after

15:54

setting up this ridiculous price and

15:57

after trying to bait people into buying

15:59

something they will absolutely regret

16:01

buying the next year they drop the

16:04

sickest line on the entire website at

16:07

current this content is meant to be

16:09

available for limited time only and

16:12

there are no plans to bring these

16:14

Cosmetics back likewise there are no

16:17

plans to add the Hall of Legends

16:19

Cosmetics to the loot pools including

16:22

rolls that's

16:24

right this is a $500 fomo if it was just

16:28

just $500 who cares it's a skin the

16:32

world won't burn but if you say hey

16:35

that's a $500 skin and it will never

16:39

return well now you are absolutely just

16:43

baiting people into buying it this is

16:46

without a doubt predatory because you

16:49

are exploiting your own players

16:53

impulsiveness and you know this is what

16:55

you are doing because this is an

16:56

extremely common practice in sales this

17:00

is garbage and even though before it was

17:03

just jokingly bad with this single line

17:07

any solidarity you could have had before

17:09

was just destroyed I understand that the

17:12

feedback will be harsh and I understand

17:15

that the prices will not change as a

17:17

result but this should not be a limited

17:21

purchase there is no reason to do it and

17:25

you are actually harming people so

17:28

please Riot reconsider this and that is

17:33

the $500 skin explained I honestly don't

17:38

even know how we got to this point it

17:40

all started with Prestige skins then we

17:43

got some Mythic Essence then we got $200

17:47

skins and now we are up to

17:49

$500 like honestly what's going to be

17:52

next there has to be a $1,000 bundle one

17:56

day right like that is where we are

17:58

going going there is like nothing else

18:00

that can be done now every video game

18:03

under the sun has multiple additions

18:05

that have ridiculous prices and

18:08

now why do skins have the same thing and

18:11

what's worse is that it is confirmed

18:13

that it will be coming back annually so

18:15

it will be a

18:18

$500 annual fomo and you know what's the

18:22

worst about all of

18:23

this Riot warned us they warned us with

18:28

the tag they put on their trailer

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League of LegendsFakerMicrotransactionsGaming ControversySkins PricingE-SportsRiot GamesHall of LegendsPlayer ReactionsAnnual Event