Riot Games Explains Why Wild Rift Was Delayed

With League of Legends Wild Rift rolling out, those at the top of Riot Games have explained the reasons behind the mobile game's delay.

27th Oct 2020 11:49

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Riot Games is extending its gaming empire with the upcoming release of League of Legends: Wild Rift. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the red carpets and fanfares the company had expected, as the mobile multiplayer has been hit by a slew of delays. With Wild Rift currently delayed in North America, South America, and India, Riot has opened up and explained what's going on. 

Wild Rift was supposed to be bringing the LoL experience to Android and iOS in 2020, but for some regions, it sadly won't be coming down the chimney in time for Christmas. Wild Rift has now tweeted an apology message from Riot Executive Producer Michael Chow, who outlined the various reasons behind the delay.
 

Unsurprisingly, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was the number one cause for Wild Rift's delay. The pandemic has reportedly left some of the team "grounded and unable to travel", while COVID-19 has also caused other "technical constraints and complicated each region’s own unique set of challenges and requirements". In particular, the delayed regions have faced problems with being able to get Wild Rift live on servers. 

Chow also reiterated that rushing Wild Rift through production wasn't an option as he added, "It has become a much more complex and multi-faceted problem to bring service to your regions in particular". He made it clear that rushing now could lead to further issues down the line and a possible reset of the game that would ultimately be worse than delaying several regions.

It's not exactly the news those in North America, South America, and India wanted to hear; however, it wasn't unexpected.

So where does that leave players in delayed regions? Chow concluded by assuring those affected that Riot will do its best to make sure they're able to catch up. He didn't specify how it'll be done, but one suggestion is that Champions will be easier to unlock in delayed regions.

The game's open beta officially starts today (October 27) in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, with promises that more regions to follow at a later date. Even if League of Legends: Wild Rift won't be the Christmas gift many of us were hoping for, at least Riot has remained committed to delivering the best experience it can.

 

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Images via Riot Games

Tom Chapman

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Tom Chapman

Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.

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