Project

Free to Play, Free to Win

League of Legends has a relatively low conversion of free-to-paying customers and when compared to other successful games on the market which are either pay to play or pay to win with many micro transactions, it is not intuitive as to how this game has accumulated the financial success it sees today. This does however provide the key to Riot Games’ success: their reach. Their far reach allows them to tap into a larger base of users making up for the payment model. This is not a criticism of the model Riot Games’ has created but rather an explanation of it and in fact, I would argue that the model and player orientated culture that Riot Games cultivates is the key to their financial success. Therefore, the question becomes, how has Riot Games created this reach?

Bushnell’s Law

Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master

Simplicity gives Riot Games its edge over its competitors and has allowed it to most importantly, develop the reach it has today, which is necessary for its financial success. Simplicity or simplistic design in the context of video game design here means that the game is designed in such a way that it is easy to grasp or understand – even for new users. This is commonly done via simplistic UI, intuitive gameplay mechanics, and generally adhering to Bushnell’s Law, which is that the game should be easy to learn and difficult to master with particular importance towards ease of learning.

Power of Memes

Social media is a large part of today’s culture and memes are the language. Social media allows for companies to interact with their users and a well-run social media account will display good public relation skills which foster a positive public opinion for the company. Generally, this means that the company is in touch with the user base and allows for increased trust and reputation for the company as it shows the company cares about the users and is willing to at least listen to their wants and demands. Users are far more likely to spend money on products created by a company they trust and love rather than ones they do not.

Rioters have displayed many instances of social media usage and more often than not, it is in the form of regular communicatory language rather than an announcement of sorts – the user feels like their issues are being personally addressed. Even sometimes drawing upon memes which shows the laid back, player first culture that Riot Games has developed. This is in line with the ideas presented earlier which show the positive effects on public opinion that social media can have in keeping user retention rates high and even attracting new users. To reiterate, users like it when they feel like they are being heard and that their opinion matters in the context of user feedback.

Lore of Legends

The Ikea Effect

People care more about things which they have an affinity or connection towards. League of Legends has an extensive lore that is not unlike other games but once again, it does something to differentiate itself from other video games out there. They make the players care. This can be seen through the IKEA effect which is a cognitive bias where consumers place a disproportionately high value on something they partially created. This can be applied to the idea of “main” champions in which players feel like they almost are that champion and have an affinity with it.

Additionally, the recent release of champions, Ornn, Xayah and Rakan and the release of the Star Guardians (and their 33 minute short story) showcase a not so new but continually improved process of release in which websites with explore-able designs are created to supplement the lore and to showcase the champion’s unique personalities and quirks which allows for players to relate to them. In creating emotional ties for players to champions and skins, Riot Games creates products that have higher value to players. These are products that the player likes and wants, and therefore are more likely to purchase. This is most prominently seen in the introduction of the “Your Shop” promotion that Riot Games runs every year but on a fundamental level, this idea of emotional tie towards certain champions and skins is always present and occurring in the minds of the users.