Why Riot removes League’s popular new game modes

polygon.com:

Riot Games has debuted a number of new game modes in League of Legends over the years: Twisted Treeline, Dominion, Ascension, Invasion, Odyssey: Extraction, Black Market Brawlers, Nexus Blitz, and more. A rare few have returned — or, like Teamfight Tactics, managed to break out and become a permanent part of the League client. It begs the question: Why spend so much time creating game modes that won’t stick around?

This summer, Riot debuted another new game mode: Arena, a 2v2v2v2 game mode where teams face off in quick, chaotic 2v2 skirmishes. Every few rounds, players get wild augments that transform their play style. Chauffeur, for instance, permanently links you to your ally — you go where they go, and you get some buffs for the trouble. Eventually, only one team is left standing. Arena is yet another mode that players enjoyed, but Riot once again took it off the menu until a limited-time return in December. But that was intentional — and it’s a part of Riot’s greater strategy.

“In the past, modes have been measured by hitting a certain number of game hours, or a certain number of purchases per account,” says Eduardo Cortejoso, a game producer at Riot Games, in a call with Polygon. “With Arena, especially how League was going through a rough patch at the earlier part of the year, we really wanted to use this as an opportunity where our goal was to rebuild player trust.”

Arena was part of a larger mea culpa after Riot released a disappointing cinematic at the start of 2023. Fans complained that the game was stagnating, and that League’s lore was falling by the wayside. We learned about the new game mode later in January.

Developers who worked on many of the previous modes have since moved on from Riot or on to other