The successful launch of the skin system was like injecting high-quality fuel into the high-speed machine that is League of Legends, allowing Riot Games to firmly establish itself commercially.
The substantial income not only gave Qin Feng more confidence to plan for the future but also transitioned the entire team from'survival mode' to 'development mode'.
However, as the number of champions surpassed fifty, a problem previously obscured by rapid development gradually surfaced, reaching its peak during an internal discussion within the planning department.
During the meeting, the planner responsible for the background stories of the new champions, 'Renekton, the Butcher of the Sands' and 'Nasus, the Curator of the Sands', argued heatedly with the planner responsible for 'Lissandra, the Ice Witch'.
"Renekton and Nasus are Ascended brothers from the distant desert nation of Shurima, who turned against each other in a power struggle—that's the core conflict of their story!"
"But Lissandra's background is set as an ancient Ice Witch from Freljord, wielding ice magic, forming a three-way standoff with Ashe and Sejuani! Yet you mention ancient Shuriman texts recording an ancient 'Iceborn' here? The timeline and the definition of magic simply don't match!"
"Also, 'Zed, the Master of Shadows', Ionian ninja arts, and 'Darius, the Hand of Noxus' imperial military style, and 'Blitzcrank, the Great Steam Golem', Piltover tech aesthetic... These champions seem to come from entirely disparate, unrelated worlds!"
The core of the argument pointed to a critical issue: League of Legends lacked a unified, self-consistent world-lore and background story system.
The champions seemed like isolated pieces, forcibly placed on a chessboard called Summoners Rift; their interactions, faction divisions, and sources of power were all chaotic.
Wu Tong rubbed his temples, saying painfully, "Qin Feng, this can't go on.
Players are already starting to question it.
Someone on the forum asked why Demacia's Garen would fight alongside Noxus's Darius on the same battlefield?
Why would champions from different times and different power systems gather together?
We need a 'lore compendium' that can explain all of this!"
Chen Ran added, "The art style also needs a unified theoretical basis.
Currently, the architecture, clothing, and natural landscapes of various regions lack internal logic.
If we want to launch more region-based skins or even... expand the map in the future, it will be very difficult without a grand world framework."
Everyone's gaze turned to Qin Feng.
They realized that the game had flesh (champions) and fine clothes (skins), and now, what was urgently needed was to give it a soul—a grand world capable of carrying all champion stories and inspiring players' imaginations.
Qin Feng took a deep breath; he knew this moment had finally arrived.
The time was ripe to bring forth the magnificent 'Runeterra' from his mind.
"You're right," Qin Feng stood up, walked to the largest whiteboard in the conference room, picked up a marker, and, with a solemn expression, like a prophet about to create a world.
"From now on, we are no longer just designing individual champions.
We are going to collectively create an entire world—its name is 'Runeterra'."
He first drew a large circle in the center of the whiteboard.
"Runeterra is the name of our world.
It is a continent full of magic, conflict, and legends.
Magic is the ubiquitous energy here, the source of power that shapes everything."
Next, using this circle as the core, he began to outline several major power blocs around it, marking their names:
"The Kingdom of Demacia is located in the west of Runeterra, a powerful kingdom where law reigns supreme.
Demacians uphold justice, honor, and order, and are deeply wary of and repulsed by magic (due to past magical disasters).
They possess strict discipline and elite armies."
Qin Feng wrote keywords on the bloc: Anti-magic, Order, Valor, Silver City.
"Representative champions: Garen, Lux, Jarvan IV.
They are symbols of Demacian spirit and strength."
"The Noxus Empire is a vast empire located in the east of Runeterra.
Noxus adheres to the principle of might makes right; regardless of background, race, or magic, as long as you have ability, you can gain status here.
They value strength, expansion, and hegemony."
Keywords: Might Makes Right, Military Expansion, Inclusivity, Immortal Bastion.
"Representative champions: Darius, Draven, and Swain.
They embody Noxus's iron will and ambition."
"Ionia is located beyond the continent of Valoran, a large archipelago.
Ionia is home to natural beauty and spiritual enlightenment.
Its people seek harmony with nature, believe in spirits, and are skilled in various philosophies, martial arts, and magical schools."
Keywords: Harmony, Nature, Spiritual Realm, Land of Enlightenment.
"Representative champions: Irelia, Ahri, Zed.
They represent Ionia's tranquility, turmoil, and inner strength."
"Freljord is a harsh tundra in northern Runeterra.
It is home to numerous tribes who worship different Iceborn demigods, fighting for survival and faith.
This is a place of ancient traditions, harsh trials, and tribal conflicts."
Keywords: Ice Tundra, Tribes, Demigods, Struggle for Survival.
"Representative champions: Ashe, Sejuani, Lissandra, Olaf.
They are embroiled in Freljord's epic struggle for unity and division."
"Piltover & Zaun are two closely linked yet distinct cities in the heart of Valoran.
Piltover is the City of Progress, where art, craftsmanship, commerce, and innovation flourish, boasting advanced Hextech."
Keywords: Progress, Technology, Art, Sunlight.
"Zaun, on the other hand, is an industrial district deep beneath the canyon, a hotbed of chemical experiments and alchemy, filled with pollution, chaos, and opportunity."
Keywords: Chaos, Alchemy, Pollution, Undercity.
"Representative champions: Piltover's Caitlyn, Jayce; Zaun's Singed, Dr. Mundo, Blitzcrank.
They showcase the dual nature of technology and chaos."
In addition to these major powers, Qin Feng briefly outlined other regions: the Shadow Isles, known for death and shadow magic (representative champions: Thresh, Karthus); Targon and Shurima, which value knowledge and are dedicated to collecting and protecting magic and knowledge worldwide (representative champions: Renekton, Nasus, Azir); and the mysterious Void...
As Qin Feng spoke, a three-dimensional, complex, and tension-filled world unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Each champion was no longer an isolated individual but was firmly anchored in a corner of this grand world; their personalities, powers, grievances, and affections all had a reasonable origin and a profound background.
"So, Qin Feng," Wu Tong asked the most crucial question, "why do these champions from different factions, some even sworn enemies, gather to fight in Summoners Rift?"
Qin Feng smiled slightly and offered the classic and ingenious explanation:
"In Runeterra, there exists an ancient and powerful neutral organization—the 'League of Legends'."
He drew a symbolic emblem above the world map.
"This League is comprised of powerful mages and Summoners from various regions.
They established special domains, such as 'Summoners Rift' and 'Twisted Treeline' battlegrounds.
Here, champions do not engage in mortal combat in their true forms, but rather their wills and power projections are guided into battle by 'Summoners' (our players) through magical contracts."
"This type of combat is conducted to resolve political disputes and territorial conflicts between city-states, or to test new magic and tactics, in a relatively controlled manner that avoids large-scale devastation.
Victory earns glory and influence for the champion's affiliated faction."
This setting perfectly explained the game's core gameplay and cleverly integrated the player's (Summoner's) identity into the world lore!
The conference room was silent; everyone was awestruck by this grand and ingenious concept.
All previous feelings of disconnect and contradiction vanished at this moment.
In their place was an unprecedented sense of clarity and purpose.
"This is... fantastic!" Chen Ran exclaimed excitedly.
"With this world lore, our art design has a soul!
Demacian architecture should be grand, neat, and orderly stone structures; Noxus should be rough, sturdy, and dark-toned with a military bastion style; Ionia should embody an Eastern aesthetic where nature and architecture coexist harmoniously...
I understand!"
Wu Tong also excitedly slammed his hand on the table: "The champions' interaction voice lines, the hostile or friendly relationships between factions, and even future faction-themed modes... everything now has a basis!
This is the true 'League of Legends'!"
Over the next few weeks, the entire planning and art team immersed themselves in the'Soul-Forging' project.
Following the framework provided by Qin Feng, they furiously filled in the detailed history, cultural customs, and specific grievances between champions for each region (such as the ambiguous relationship and factional opposition between Garen and Katarina, and the historical entanglement between champion and Riven).
The official forum, for the first time, released the 'Runeterra Gazetteer' and in-depth background stories for some champions.
Players' reactions were unprecedentedly enthusiastic; they were like explorers discovering a new continent, eagerly discussing the settings of various factions, researching the relationships between champions, and creating a large number of fan works.
The game, as a result, became richer and more captivating.
Qin Feng looked at the initially completed map of Runeterra on his desk.
He knew that League of Legends, at this point, had truly taken a crucial step from being merely a 'fun' game to becoming a 'world' capable of carrying countless people's dreams and emotions.