Riot backpedals on League & Valorant account changes after player backlash

Riot Games has announced an update to their proposed Riot ID update system by shortening the time and removing the paid requirement. 

On October 16, Riot revealed that they would be phasing out of Summoner Names and shifting to Riot IDs instead. This change mainly impacted League of Legends players on the Summoner Name system since the game first launched. 

Riot’s popular FPS title, Valorant, has operated on the Riot ID system since the beginning. Instead of having players fight over the rights to a specific name, the Riot ID system allows multiple players to have the same name with a distinguished ID number. 

The initial announcement stated that players must wait a year before another free change. Opting for a quicker alteration requires purchasing an extra name change for approximately $10 in in-game currency.

Riot Games listens to player feedback for ID change

Due to an outcry from the community, Riot has taken a step back with their decisions. In an update on November 17, Riot said they would no longer force players to pay to change their Riot ID.

Additionally, the once 365-day cooldown has now been reduced to 90 days.

“We’ve made some updates to the Riot ID switchover, starting Nov. 20,” said Riot Games on Twitter/X. “Paid name changes – now no cost for changes. 365 days to name change  – now 90 days to change.”

This reversal was well received by the community, who considered it a ‘W’ for Riot. Although the sentiment that this issue could have been avoided altogether remained.

“Riot creating their own issue and solving the issue that they created,” said one commenter.

On November 20, Riot will implement the streamlined Riot ID system in League of Legends, introducing an ID tag alongside players’ in-game names, similar to Valorant. More information can be found in the initial post from Riot on their blog.