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Riot has given one of League of Legends’ heroes a visual makeover, and its boards are alight with protests from fans.
As the game’s roster evolves rapidly, it is quite normal for Riot to revisit existing Heroes and give them a rejig to keep them thematically consistent and competitive in the modern game. However, in this instance changes to Fiora have upset a vocal part of the title’s fanbase.
Kotaku notes that while a lot of arguments being made on the face of it don’t seem overtly sexist, there’s no escaping the fact that they are in reaction to the fact that Fiora’s overt sexualisation has been toned down. This was Fiora’s splash art before the changes:
And after:
And here’s how the changes look in game in one particular skin:
Her cleavage has been covered and her waist widened, flying in the face of the typical imagery seen in all too many games.
Complaints range from claims that Fiora’s new look makes her look ugly”, older” and frumpy”, while her facial changes have been labelled a downgrade”. One user even called her social justice warrior Fiora”. Note that League of Legends currently has no middle-aged female Heroes, for reasons we’re probably now seeing.
Riot’s message boards are still awash with endless threads demanding a reversal of the changes and offering assorted Photoshops of how Riot could alter things to appease many user’s personal tastes.
All Riot has said in response is that it’s going to continue iterating” on her design.
