Riot Games under fire after changing another pro team’s controversial emote

Riot Games has changed another emote created by a pro League of Legends team just days after changing 100 Thieves’ emote.

The League developer revealed the custom emotes created by esports organizations on August 12 and some of them immediately caught players’ eyes for their great designs and controversial elements. The two most interesting emotes were created by Team BDS and 100 Thieves.

Team BDS featured a Pengu holding a fishing rod with a hook that resembled the controversial bait ping that was removed from the game as its cosmetic. BDS even created a video featuring the bait ping symbol promoting the emote on social media.

Over a week later, Riot has nixed the symbol from the cosmetic’s public test realm release. The emote now shows a caught fish on the end of the rod, covering up the hook, according to the X account SkinSpotlights.

Riot Games/Team BDS

The original emote design.

This is the second time Riot has changed an emote from this set, as the developer adjusted 100 Thieves’ Akali emote to showcase a less controversial taunt compared to its original design.

League players and esports pundits alike have slammed Riot’s decision, calling out the developer for releasing the original designs in the first place.

“Why even ask teams if they change what they want anyways,” one League fan said on X.

“How did these emotes make it through conception if they’re getting knee-jerk changed? Teams may have chosen wildly different emotes if these weren’t allowed,” League caster Alex ‘Nymaera’ Hapgood said.

Team BDS responded to the controversy on social media, poking fun at the change by posting the original design with the Pengu making the gesture that caused the 100 Thieves emote to be changed.

100 Thieves responded to the last-second change of its emote after its LCS match on August 18, as its entire League of Legends team made the “so small” gesture on stage after a win against Dignitas.

“Hear us out Riot Games. If we make Worlds… can we keep it?” the organization asked on X.

Riot has yet to explain why they have changed either emote. The cosmetics will hit the League of Legends shop on August 27.