As Viktor mains rage over their fave being hit with the Arcane twink ray, Riot quietly tinkers with controversial skin reworks on the League of Legends test server

pcgamer.com:

Viktor is, uh, looking a little different, recently. As displayed in Riot Games' recent Season 1 update, the developer is keen to start working lore changes made in Arcane, a TV series that's been way better than it's had any right to be, into League of Legends itself. It's an understandable move in terms of marketing, but it's also been heavy handed enough to peeve the old guard something fierce.

Viktor (the champion) has existed in the game for 13 whole years. Fans have had time to grow attached to his presentation, his aesthetic, and his machine herald swag—which is why Riot coming out of nowhere and hitting him with the twink beam to have him closer match Viktor (the TV character) hasn't gone down smoothly. Gone is the relatively square, jaded idealist and genius philanthropist with an obsession for cybernetic replacement. Arcane Viktor is here, no negotiations.

The community subreddit for the character, r/viktormains, has been having an especially normal one, calling a campaign to see his slightly buffer, chonkier appearance the «revert-lution». «Why are his hips so GRABBABLE?» cries one player in a thread lamenting his slender, effeminate frame, as another chimes in: «I won't stand his top erasure!!! Where is the bulge???» I'm a particular fan of this «in loving memory» card, which mourns his memory as a «scientist, innovator, divorced and communist». May he be remembered.

And, look. While I'll always have a sensible chuckle over people losing their gourd, I think I'm on the players' side, here. At least, to a certain extent. Riot has the right to do whatever it wants with its IP and game, but it does feel harsh to unilaterally redesign a swathe of skins that people paid money for years ago. A botched graphical update is one thing, body-swapping stuff that cost actual cash is another. Here's some direct comparisons, courtesy of Remus on YouTube.

Riot does, at least, seem to be taking the feedback into account. As shared by user VrrSolo on the same subreddit,