Though the smoke of the Star Sea Cup quarterfinals had yet to clear, discussions regarding the semifinals, "Forbidden City Peak vs Veteran Team" and "Star Sea Team vs Phantom Team" had already dominated the trending topics across all gaming communities.
However, in the top-floor office at the Riot Games headquarters, Qin Feng's gaze had already moved past the intense current matches, focusing on the distant future.
The huge whiteboard was covered densely with formulas, sketches, and annotations in various colors.
There were no team logos or player statistics here; only the conception for a version update named "New Era," poised to overturn the existing game landscape.
Qin Feng stood before the whiteboard, holding his coffee, his eyes sharp and focused.
The success of the Star Sea Cup validated the immense potential of *league of legends* as an esports title, but it also exposed issues with some underlying mechanics and pain points in player experience.
It was time for a drastic overhaul to pave the way for a more equitable, deeper, and more sustainable competitive environment for the upcoming global tournament.
"Gather the heads of core planning, technology, and art.
We'll have a meeting in one hour," Qin Feng instructed his assistant, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
An hour later, the conference room was filled with Riot Games' core personnel.
As they looked at the astonishing list of changes on the whiteboard, expressions of shock and excitement mingled on their faces.
"Everyone, immediately after the Star Sea Cup concludes, we will launch the 'New Era' version," Qin Feng announced straightforwardly, pointing his laser pointer to the first item on the board.
"First, and one of the most crucial changes: we are removing the Rune System and fully converting to the Talent System!"
A low murmur rose in the conference room.
The Rune System, which had existed since the game's inception as a key method for players to boost their champion's early-game stats, had long been criticized for its high cost (purchased with Gold) and complex combinations.
It made entry difficult for new players, and veterans also needed to invest significant Gold to acquire multiple Rune Pages to handle different matchups.
"The current Rune System is essentially a 'pay (with Gold) to get stronger' mechanism, which is unhealthy for a MOBA game where we emphasize fair competition," Qin Feng explained.
"The new Talent System will be completely free and open to all Summoners."
"Before the game starts, players can freely select and combine their talents from a series of strategically significant branches, based on their chosen champion and the enemy lineup."
"This will focus more on player strategic choices and in-game adaptability, rather than early-game Gold accumulation."
He paused, then continued, "To complement this, we will eliminate Gold and uniformly rename it 'Blue Essence.'"
"All rewards obtained through gameplay, as well as the Gold previously used to purchase champions, will be converted into Blue Essence.
Blue Essence will primarily be used to unlock new champions."
"Then... what about the players who have already spent large amounts of Gold buying runes?" asked Wu Tong, the Planning Director, raising the most critical question.
This touched upon the core interests and fairness for a large number of veteran players.
"The compensation plan must be generous enough," Qin Feng said, having already given it deep thought.
"We will fully compensate players with Blue Essence based on the level and quantity of runes they have purchased, using a very favorable ratio."
"This ensures that these players' investments were not wasted, and they can use this Essence to unlock more champions they like.
At the same time, we will also release limited icons or emotes as an extra token of gratitude for our veteran players."
This solution allowed everyone present to breathe a sigh of relief.
It simultaneously eliminated the drawbacks and addressed the feelings of veteran players, making it undoubtedly the best approach at this stage.
"Next is the game content update," Qin Feng said, moving the laser pointer to the next item.
"In the new version, we will introduce an extremely unique new champion: Aphelios, the Weapon of the Faithful."
Chen Ran, the Art Director, brightened up.
She had already seen the concept drafts for this champion.
"Aphelios's uniqueness lies in the fact that he does not have a traditional E Skill.
Instead, he possesses five different primary weapons, along with a corresponding secondary weapon ability.
The weapons automatically cycle through a unique ammunition system during the match," Qin Feng elaborated.
"This means players need to dynamically adjust their playstyle and damage output mode within a single match to deal with different weapon combinations.
His Ultimate Ability, 'Moonlight Vigil,' will also produce drastically different effects depending on the primary weapon he is holding."
Li Ming, the Technology Director, frowned.
"Mr. Qin, this champion's mechanics are extremely complex.
The difficulty in both client implementation and balance adjustment is immense."
"I know the difficulty is immense," Qin Feng stated firmly.
"But it is precisely champions like this that can continuously raise the skill ceiling and the viewing ceiling of the game.
Professional players will need time to master him, and casual players will find endless exploration fun in him.
Our job is to overcome the technical challenges and ensure long-term balance tracking."
"Furthermore," Qin Feng added, "we will be making visual updates and slight terrain adjustments to Summoners Rift to enhance the overall visual quality and potentially introduce new possibilities for certain tactics.
Regarding the jungle, we will update the monster models and attack effects, and uniformly rename and re-icon the 'jungle items' to something more characteristic of Summoners Rift, such as 'Jungle Egg' (or the upgraded forms of basic items like Hunter's Machete, collectively referred to as jungle items, but discarding the term 'blade' to better suit the fantasy setting).
These small optimizations are aimed at improving the game's overall immersion and world-view consistency."
The conference room erupted into heated discussion.
Every single change was interconnected and required close coordination between multiple departments, including planning, technology, art, and operations.
"What is the timeline for the version update?" asked the Head of Operations.
"Immediately after the Star Sea Cup Grand Finals, it will go live on the Public Beta Environment for testing.
After one to two weeks of player feedback and balance adjustments, the official servers will be fully updated," Qin Feng stated decisively.
"We must allow all players, especially professional teams, sufficient time to familiarize themselves with and adapt to the new version."
He walked to the window, looking out at the bustling city night view, his voice steady and powerful: "This 'New Era' version will be a crucial step for *league of legends* as we move toward a new stage.
It addresses inherent fairness issues, introduces deeper game mechanics, and optimizes player experience.
Only on this new foundation can we confidently host the Star Sea Cup World Invitational Tournament the event that will gather the world's top talents."
"We want players and teams worldwide to stand on the same fair, advanced starting line, one filled with infinite possibilities.
When that time comes, the real competition will just be beginning."
The meeting concluded, but within Riot Games, a fierce, high-tempo battle codenamed "New Era" had just begun.
Everyone understood that this version update was not merely an iteration of game content; it was an ecological reshaping that would determine whether *league of legends* could truly transform from a successful domestic game into an internationally influential esports masterpiece.
A storm was brewing in silence.
A new era for *league of legends* was about to dramatically begin with the conclusion of the Star Sea Cup.