After leaving it up to a community vote to determine the next
League of Legends champion who will receive a graphical and gameplay update next year, the results are in. As it turns out, two champions will be updated in 2020, not just one. That's because the vote was too close!
As revealed by Riot Games, Volibear edged out Fiddlesticks; however, the difference between the two was so small that they've decided to start both Fiddlesticks and Volibear VGUs. The five champions fans could vote on were: Fiddlesticks, Shyvana, Nocturne, Volibear, and Dr. Mundo. Here's how the vote tallied:
Riot Games noted that Shyvana was the third most voted for champion across all regions, and was actually the number one candidate for an update in China. While she's not guaranteed to see an update in 2020, Riot Games did say they'll keep her in mind when choosing which champion to update following Volibear and Fiddlesticks.
"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," said gameplay designer Nathan "Riot Lutzburg" Lutz.
"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," aded fellow gameplay designer Blake "Squad5" Smith.
In the meantime, Riot Games recently revealed
the reworked abilities of Mordekaiser. While Pantheon will also be addressed this year, the focus for the remainder of 2019 will be new champions. Riot Games previously teased that
the next champion will be a solo lane AD assassin who will introduce a brand new faction that lies within the deep jungles of Runeterra, "hidden from the rest of the world."