Riot Games shares updates on League of Legends skins and champion updates for this and next year.
Riot Games, has released two new dev blogs providing insights into upcoming skins and updates for the game. In the first blog titled “State of Skins 2023,” Stephanie “100 pc nuggets” Leung, the new product lead for the skins team, shares details about an upcoming Ultimate Skin for Samira, the return of the Prestige Skin List and changes to the Mythic Shop. The second blog, “Scouting Ahead on ASUs,” gives a sneak peek into the progress of the Art and Sustainability Updates (ASUs) for Lee Sin and Teemo, which both target a 2024 release.
Samira Ultimate Skin, seven confirmed Prestige Skins and a new Mythic Shop theme
Once known for their innovation and uniqueness, Ultimate Skins were some of the most highly prized skins in League of Legends. But in recent years, these skins lost a lot of their appeal as they got old and some of the newer skins jumped in quality. The last Ultimate Skin released was Seraphine’s K/DA All Out in 2020, although Spirit Guard Udyr got reworked with the champions VGU back in 2022.
Samira Ultimate Skin will be the seventh one added to the game and is looking for a release as a part of this year’s summer event. According to Leung, the team started with a skin concept that was supposed to be a Legendary, but “…quickly realized that [they] wanted to take her design beyond the scope of a Legendary. So we decided to keep adding more and more…” until they decided to make it an Ultimate.
Along with the new Samira skin, Riot is also bringing back the Upcoming Prestige Skin List to provide players with visibility on which champions will be receiving Prestige skins in the coming months. Players can expect Prestige skins for:
- Pyke
- Shaco
- Sona
- Renata Glasc
- Akali
- Yone
- Camille
Additionally, the Mythic Shop is undergoing thematic changes, transitioning to a new theme called Crystalis Motus, where crystals play a significant role, with Leona as the first recipient. The number of Prestige skins offered in the shop will also be expanded from two to four, allowing for a quicker rotation of Prestige skins and more opportunities for players to acquire the skins they desire.
Lee Sin and Teemo ASUs won’t be out this year
We also got a sneak peek into the progress of the Art and Sustainability Updates (ASUs) for Lee Sin and Teemo in the latest dev blog. While release dates are subject to change, currently Lee Sin is scheduled for the first half of 2024, followed by Teemo in the second half of the same year.
The ASU team shared insights from the concept art, technical art, and animation departments, highlighting the efforts involved in bringing these champions’ ASUs to life.
Megan “Ze Ocelot” O’Rourke, the concept artist, emphasized the importance of solidifying Lee Sin’s proportions to define his silhouette and identity. The team aimed to retain Lee Sin’s overall look while introducing subtle details inspired by his Wild Rift appearance. The ASU also addressed rigging issues, such as improving control and pivot points and revamped his neck movement. The animation team focused on enhancing Lee Sin’s gameplay feel, readability, and character resonance, aiming to make him feel like a true professional warrior monk while maintaining his familiar gameplay mechanics.
The concept artist, Megan O’Rourke, discussed the significance of proportions in capturing Teemo’s unique yordle identity. While retaining his trademark stubbiness, Teemo’s ASU will feature slightly elongated limbs to enhance his mobility. The design improvements include clearer details, adjusted colors and values, and improved shapes and breakups. The ASU will also provide Teemo with a wider range of expressions, allowing for more emotive interactions. Additionally, the updates will extend to Teemo’s current skins and inspire new skin possibilities.
While no Lee Sin or Teemo ASU for 2023 was disappointing news for League fans, Head of League Studio Andrei “Meddler” van Roon confirmed on a Reddit thread that Jax’s visual update is still on track to release this year.
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