Prestige skins in League of Legends spur backlash

Some League of Legends fans and players are none too happy about the reintroduction of Prestige skins to the game.

The Prestige line of skins was first seen with Prestige K/DA Kai’Sa. After its relatively welcome reception, Riot added a Prestige K/DA Akali skin to the mix. Riot had since announced the continuation of the Prestige skin line, with different means of obtaining the skins to be offered.

As opposed to the daily quests used to acquire the K/DA skins, the new system will introduce Prestige Points. Small amounts of Prestige Points are attainable through purchasing different capsules in the in-game store. Once you have 100 Prestige Points, you may trade the collected points for a desired Prestige skin.

Outrage from fans came the day of the release of 2019’s Prestige skin: Prestige Blood Moon Aatrox. Fans already seemed underwhelmed before a bug hit the in-game store. Players were able to purchase skin capsules at the cost of one blue essence, a currency obtained through gameplay. This essentially allowed players to buy the Prestige skin with blue essence, circumventing the intended requirements.

Collectors were upset because the Prestige skins were advertised as exclusive accessories. Access to the skins through blue essence made them seem less exclusive, causing big spenders to complain. Trying to bandage the situation, Riot decided to refund any Prestige skins or leftover capsules sitting in players’ inventories.

It wasn’t just the high paying consumers that were upset. Many fans argued that the new skins just weren’t interesting enough to warrant the cost. Legendary skins such as Pulsefire Ezreal feature a complete rework of the champion’s visuals and sounds. These can be purchased for roughly $25 USD. But the Prestige skins carry fewer features and can only be obtained through purchasing several capsule bundles, resulting in a price over $100.

The subject of pricing out exclusive rewards and fancy skins isn’t a new source of controversy in the League of Legends community, and this latest kerfuffle is unlikely to be the last.