In a transfer harking back to the notorious Sonic the Hedgehog live-action redesign, Riot Video games has needed to alter the appears of its newest League of Legends champion, Smolder, in response to criticism from followers. After his reveal, followers identified that the small dragon’s face appeared unnervingly human, with a design that was misplaced with different dragons within the LoL universe.
Smolder, the Firey Fledgling, was revealed on January 4 as an adorable ADC who would even be simple to be taught and enjoyable to play. The small dragon’s cute design could have been pushed too far, with followers instantly criticizing the uncanny valley impact of Smolder’s human-like face, evaluating it to Sonic’s authentic live-action design.
Fans compared the design to different child dragons from League canon, reminiscent of Dragon Coach Tristana’s companion Riggle, mentioning how earlier designs had at all times balanced cuteness with distinct draconic options like scales and pointed snouts. A number of fanartists posted their very own Smolder redesigns, giving him much less human options.
Hey Guys! We heard your suggestions on Smolder’s face and are making some adjustment to focus on his dragon options. Thanks a lot for Gem, @O0_Y_0O and @White_Leyth for making this occur! The splash crew is engaged on some changes too! pic.twitter.com/6CWfVYwQjY
— Riot Lexical (Lexi) (@neolexical) January 5, 2024
Barely a day later, product supervisor Riot Lexical introduced a redesign of Smolder’s face, including extra scaling, texture, arduous strains, and altering the form of his eyes to “spotlight his dragon options.” Whereas no modifications have been made to the mannequin itself, the feel updates do so much to offset the uncanny valley of the unique design.
Smolder might be coming to Summoner’s Rift in Patch 14.3, which is due out on February 7.