UNWRAPPING THE LEGEND: A DEEP DIVE INTO LEAGUE OF LEGENDS' LUXURIOUS $450 BUNDLE

League of Legends. The titan of MOBA games, the embodiment of team-based carnage, the tightly balletic chess played out on vibrant battlefields, and it’s been that way pretty much since it came out. Riot Games, the publisher of League, has been pleasing its huge and continuous audience, hosting cool content and events, and releasing epic skins – all of this without ever needing to deliberately rev up buzz or publicity. For instance, who would’ve expected League of Legends players to salivate over a $450 skin drop in recognition of Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok. They’re buzzing because it’s Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok, not just a cheap shit bundle of pixels. And they’re reeling because of the cost.

THE LEGENDARY BUNDLE: A TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND

’Tis the season of spending big bucks. The gaming studio behind the competitive multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game League of Legends (LoL) has released a bundle celebrating esports legend Faker, who has been accepted into Riot Games’ exclusive Hall of Legends and now enjoys an event pass dedicating a season to his legacy. The bundle includes three new Ahri Collections, two priced at 2,500 and 1,600 RP (barring any sales), and one that costs about two-thirds of a US dollar. Across forums and subreddits, the fan community lit up.

FROM RISEN TO IMMORTALIZED: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE COLLECTIONS

From there, the Risen Legend Collection follows, at around $40, which includes the Hall of Legends Pass among other items and an exclusive Ahri skin. The Immortalised Legend Collection jumps to around $250, which includes everything from the Risen Collection plus many more exclusive items, and the new Immortalised Ahri skin. At the top of the line is the Signature Immortalised Legend Collection, at around $450. It too comes with ‘a mountain of one-of-a-kind content’, available now at the asking price that has baffled some and inspired many more.

COMMUNITY REACTIONS: BETWEEN ADMIRATION AND ASTONISHMENT

The pricing has fired up a wide range of complaints. Here’s one: I always thought players would want something from the promotion, like a physical Ahri statue, or a worthy object, like the virtual finishers and emotes you’re offering, to justify the cost. Based on Faker’s persona – you know, he barely makes a salary, playing video games professionally, out of his parents’ home in South Korea. So he doesn’t seem like the type who would attach his name to a $1,600 bundle of winning odds. That irony isn’t lost on fans.

RIOT’S RATIONALE: STRIKING A BALANCE

Their response was a painstaking analysis of their price structure. They were attempting to be inclusive, providing something for everyone, from casual fans to hardcore devotees. The higher-price bundles included features that had been released for the first time in the history of League, and were intended as ‘the highest honour’ to induct one of their champions in a way that ‘will be remembered by everyone’! This combination of accessibility and exclusivity is a part of Riot’s overall strategy of memorising league legends in a way that makes sense for their growing fanbase.

HALL OF LEGENDS: AN EVERLASTING TRIBUTE

It wasn’t a one-off event – this is the start of an annual festival dedicated to star players across the League of Legends universe. The Collection itself is running between 12 June and 8 July as a way for fans to interact with their idols, though it’s unclear whether any of these collections will be re-released at a later date.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: MORE THAN JUST A GAME

Granted, some of them are priced quite steeply, and there might be those who baulk at the expenditure required to get hold of them; but make no mistake: League of Legends is not a game – it is a society, it is a sport, and it is even sometimes a means by which the game can reward its community members for significant and notable contributions to the cultural heritage of League. The Hall of Legends event and the collections that accompany them are a novel means of commemorating the giants and heroes of the game, a small part in expanding the living, breathing folklore and tradition that make League of Legends the game it is – a seminal MOBA with a massive playerbase.

UNDERSTANDING LEGEND IN THE CONTEXT OF LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

This use of the word ‘legend’ is a little more intentional than on a football or basketball card, not just because it recognises the extraordinary nature of the athlete’s skill, or the time they’ve spent in the sport, but because it acknowledges the profound influence legends hold over the community that plays the game. Legends in League aren’t simply players; they’re icons, and they’re icons for a reason. Legends inspire countless other players in their wake, and leave permanent marks on the competitive landscape of the game, and the Riot events that honour them are a tangible way of expressing the importance of the legendary nature of players at the highest level. League itself is a vital part of the legend.

The $450 Faker bundle not only embodies this desire but also can help fans pay their respects to a true legend of the League. Just as Riot’s console partnerships and concert series make it easy for fans to welcome league into their real lives, these legacy Faker skins make legends integral to the League experience, one that goes beyond a keyboard and monitor.