League of Legends Classic, the recreation of an older version of the popular MOBA, will be taken down at the end of the current season. The reason given is simple: most players have moved on to other areas of League of Legends.
First released in July this year, LoL Classic was implied to have potential as a permanent addition, though such aspirations seems to have swiftly ended. Instead, it’ll be taken offline next January, with a planned return likely as a limited-time mode in the future with ample changes.
In an official blog post by Riot Games, the League team writes: “We’ve seen a lot of players have fun revisiting the olden days with Classic. At this point though, most have gone back to other parts of League. So Classic will be available through the rest of Season 3 and will then end its current run in January 2027. We’ll then put Classic back in the box for now, with the goal of bringing it back, likely as an event mode with adjustments and additions.
“There’s more we’re going to share in the future about what we learned from this run. That includes where we think we got Classic right, where we could have gone more classic, and where sticking too closely to the past may have held the experience back. Please continue to let us know what you love and don’t love about Classic. Your feedback is a vital part of how we make our games and is always appreciated.”
Those who had bought cosmetic microtransactions for LoL Classic will have them refunded in Riot Points premium currency. Planned Classic champions, including Volibear, Urgot, and Udyr, will still release as planned. There’s no word on exactly when LoL Classic will return following its closure, and what changes the team has in mind for a new iteration.
League of Legends Classic was initially met with excitement from longtime LoL lovers, though the game mode was met with controversy due to its microtransaction model. While champions did possess their older move set, obtaining the retro look required players to either earn them through a Classic-specific battle pass or buy them with real world moolah. Many found charging for Classic skins in a Classic game mode was a step too far.
While League Classic fans may be saddened by the news that the mode will soon be taken away, the silver lining here is that the proposed return of League Classic could provide a better experience that enraptures a larger portion of the playerbase for longer. Fingers crossed the next attempt comes back in a big way.
