Almost a month ago, we shared that fans would be given some of the control over who the League of Legends champion team would rework in the near future. Anyone with a League of Legends account was able to sign-in and vote for the champion (out of a specific list) they wanted to get refreshed.

Now, Riot Games has shared with us the winners of this vote, or should we say winners! That’s right. The end tally was so close at the top that Riot Games will be refreshing two champions from the list. 

The Winners Are … 

According to Riot, the difference between votes for Fiddlesticks and votes for Volibear was less than 100 in difference. Making it a tough decision to pick one over the other, so they didn’t. 

As for what’s coming, Riot Games said that their hopes are to be as transparent throughout the process as possible. Obvious limitations regarding development cycle and process are involved. 

“As we begin working on updates for both Volibear and Fiddlesticks, we want to be as transparent as possible so you can follow them on their journeys. There won’t be as frequent or consistent of updates as there were for the recent Little Demon Tristana campaign because champion development takes much longer and can progress at varying speeds, especially depending on how early exploration goes,” writes Riot Reav3 in the update. 

What are they willing to share? Well, on the same post, Riot Games spilled some of the conceptual ideas that the champion designers came up with. 

Volibear 

Nathan “Riot Lutzburg” Lutz, Gameplay Designer: Volibear is one of my most played champions, so I’m thrilled to work on him! My goal is to preserve the spirit of current Volibear, allowing him to do cool bear things like chase down and maul his enemies. I’d also like to integrate his “thunder god” aesthetic into more of his kit while finding new ways to explore the bruiser role. Insert bear pun here.

Justin “RiotEarp” Albers, Concept Artist: I’m very excited to get to help bring new life to League’s ferocious bear champ. I’ve been thinking about a Volibear VGU for a long time, and I know we’re going to do his current design justice while creating something new and exciting for him. We have a lot of unique ideas that I’m already doodlin’ and noodlin’ on, and I hope Volibear mains follow along and get as hyped as we are. Time to get to work and bring the thunder! The Freljord calls!

Rayla “Jellbug” Heide, Narrative Writer: I can’t wait to dig my claws into Volibear’s story. I’m excited to show how he exemplifies this untameable, tempestuous force as the unforgiving leader of the formidable Ursine. In the Freljord, wild nature can be just as dangerous as magic, and Volibear embodies both elements to a frightening degree.

Fiddlesticks

Blake “Squad5” Smith, Gameplay Designer: We’re doubling down on Fiddlestick’s identity as THE iconic ambusher in League. Catching enemies by surprise is the true art of playing Fiddle, and we’re testing new tricks and ways to terrify his opponents.

Sunny “Kindlejack” Pandita, Concept Artist: I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who voted for Fiddlesticks! He’s been tied with Rumble for my favourite champion since Season 1, and I can’t wait to help bring him up to modern standards. When I joined Riot, I hoped to one day be a part of this exact project, so I’m excited to deliver the update we’ve been having terrifying dreams about.

In fact, I’m so excited that I’ve already been scribblin’ in my sketchbook, exploring a pretty radical range of directions that we could take the Harbinger of Doom. Am I afraid? Yes. I’m afraid this update is going to be so spooky we’ll have players who would rather ff than face their fears.

Jared “Carnival Knights” Rosen, Narrative Writer: I want Fiddlesticks to be the most terrifying champion in the game, without exception. He begs questions like, “What is a scarecrow? What is the facsimile of a person, and why does it move around? What compels it to kill?” There’s a deeply unsettling logic at work within that champion, and I’m excited to drag it out and give it new, monstrous life.

There are of course sillier elements of Fiddle, and I have the strangest feeling these will be embraced and celebrated using his skins. A surprise-party-birthday-clown feeling.

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In the end, it’s pretty great of Riot to open up the suggestions to fans, and give their player base the smallest semblance of control over what gets reworked in League of Legends in the future. So kudos to them. Third on the votes list was Shyvana, who actually got more votes than anyone else in China. Reav3 mentions in his update that Shyvana will be very much a focus moving beyond the Fiddlesticks and Volibear work. 

Did you get a chance to vote? Does this kind of input help give players more ownership over their game?