This week, it’s “My Shop,” unlocked pro accounts, and tips for getting an art job at Riot.
Will “My Shop” ever return?
Yes! “My Shop” wasn’t available during this year’s Lunar Revel because the updated client doesn’t currently support it, but we plan to make it available on the new client in the near future. Right now, we’re focusing on client stability and performance, particularly on low-spec machines. Once we feel like the updated client is running smoothly, we’ll continue to focus on adding additional features like “My Shop.”
Why do pro players get unlocked accounts? Doesn’t this make the game pay to win, on some level?
We think the experience is best for esports viewers if pros can choose any champion to play. Having a lot of champions is a core part of League and we think esports is a great way to showcase them. If you’re a fan, you want to see the greatest amount of variety, skill and mastery on the pro stage.
While your choice of champion definitely has an effect on your success in game, we try hard to keep League from being won or lost at champion select. The decisions you make in game should have a much greater impact on whether you win or lose than which champion you choose. It’s also still important to the design of League that you can earn champions without spending RP.
Being able to succeed in League regardless of what you spend is a core value for our ecommerce team. Champions we think are okay for now — we’re less satisfied with the current implementation of runes, and are currently investigating ways to make this system better.
How can I get a job as an artist at Riot? What do you look for?
There’s no “one” thing we look for in an artist, but here are some general tips!
First, tailor your reel/portfolio to the studio you’re applying at. For an example, a VFX artist should be sending us a reel of VFX that they can see us implementing into League. It wouldn’t make sense to send us a reel with photorealistic VFX. Second, apply to as many studios as you can — even if you have your eye on one in particular. There’s no downside to getting experience in communicating with recruiters and interviewing; this experience might even help you nail it when you finally interview with your dream studio. Third, keep a positive attitude. Even if you don’t get your dream job on your first try, getting experience at a different studio can boost your chances next time around. The door is never closed, so keep a good attitude and work hard and you never know where you’ll end up.
Finally, remember that art is a wide field, with lots of specialities (check out our job listings for artists to see this in action). Finding the area of expertise that feels best to you is probably a good first step!
Have a question? Click on the button below, sign into your League account, and ask away.
We’ll do our best to read every question, but we can’t guarantee they’ll all get answers. Some questions may already be answered elsewhere, and some won’t be right for Ask Riot. This isn’t the best place to announce new features, for example, and we might skip conversations on issues we’ve talked about in depth before (though we can clarify individual points).
We are listening, though, so keep asking. We’ll make sure your questions are heard by the Rioters working on the stuff you’re curious about.