When League of Legends’ Arena mode dropped in tandem with Riot Games’ Soul Fighter summer event earlier this year, the new game mode became one of the most popular in recent history. Players were jumping in and out of rapid-fire sessions alongside one other friend as they climbed the ranks of a unique style of play that freshened up the game for veterans and casuals alike.
As the Soul Fighter event comes to a close, however, Riot has already confirmed that Arena will be shuttering its doors as well—but there is still some hope for those who wish for the game mode to stay alive. Design lead Daniel “Maxw3ll” Emmons settled down saddened fans on the League subreddit today, saying there are already plans being discussed around the future of Arena.
“Thank you for the kind words,” Emmons said. “We definitely haven’t seen the last of Arena; the team is discussing the future plans for the mode and none of the options on the table involve abandoning it. Brightmoon and Meddler will have a dev update soon that includes what the next steps are for the mode.”
Related: LoL fans reach resounding agreement about Arena, offer suggestions to improve mode
Over the last few weeks, Riot has been trying to temper expectations for the game mode’s lifespan and the possibility of it becoming a permanent game mode. For example, last month, Bryan “Axes” Salvatore told the player base that for Arena to become a permanent mode, it would take “a really huge player response that sustains over time.”
As a result, Riot has been focusing on creating a good summer event mode and possibly moving forward to improving the product for another separate release down the line. There is, however, a world where the player response is great enough that this changes Riot’s plans for the mode, but it is very unlikely.
Right now, Arena will only last until the Soul Fighter event’s final day on Monday, Aug. 28, when it will go offline for the foreseeable future. Players can, however, look toward the upcoming developer update featuring Jeremy “Brightmoon” Lee and Andrei “Meddler” van Roon, which is expected to be released “soon.”
