League of Legends is free to play, but Riot Games makes money off in-client purchases. If you’re a fan of a specific champion, you can purchase alternate cosmetic skins with new lore. In the mainline lore, Ahri is a nine-tailed fox looking to find the secrets of her people… but with skins, she can be an international star, an evil witch in the woods, or a magical girl squad captain. One new skin has raised a furor among fans, because at its top tier, it costs a whopping $500.
Riot has started a new initiative to honor the best of the best of the League of Legends esports scene in the Hall of Legends, a commemorative list of the game’s greatest figures. The first player to be inducted is an obvious choice: Faker, a multi-time world champion widely considered to be the GOAT. The Hall of Legends comes with an in-game pass, with 100 levels of unlockable rewards. This includes a Risen Legend LeBlanc skin, a ward, banner, and other emotes and icons.
The second skin associated with Faker is the one garnering all the controversy. There are three tiers of Ahri skins: Risen Legend, Immortalized Legend, and the Signature Immortalized Legend. These skins can only be unlocked through collections, and the Signature Immortalized Legend Collection is 59260 RP, which is equivalent to around $500. It comes with banners, borders, Faker’s signature on the splash art, a complete event pass, and in-game upgrades to Immortalized Legend Ahri.
That’s a hefty price tag, and understandably, fans are shocked. “Sorry to my rioter friends but riot is absolutely batshit with this, NO digital cosmetic is worth 30K or 60K RP. None. Faker is NOT that cool bro,” wrote one player on X. Another player posted a Discord convo, in which one participant asks: “Does it come with a fucking handjob from Ahri herself?”
sorry to my rioter friends but riot is absolutely batshit with this, NO digital cosmetic is worth 30k or 60k rp. None. Faker is NOT that cool bro.
and none of the money from these bundles is going to be used to improve league in any meaningful way. lol. rofl. lmfao. https://t.co/oH3cdLVxyr
— ᴛᴀᴛᴢ (@aphneiios) May 28, 2024
Other fans noted that it’s ironic to have such an expensive skin to honor Faker, as the player is known to play without any skins. There have been esports skins in the past, but none have ever hit this price tier — and even with their comparatively modest prices, Faker has stated that he waits to purchase skins like SKT T1 Ryze when they’re on sale. It’s hard to see the value behind a macrotransaction such as this, especially when $500 could purchase a full console, or several incredible triple-A games. Some fans have joked that they’ll start permanently banning Ahri from their games, ensuring that no one can use the skin, no matter how much it costs.
“go to hell” is basic. “i hope your favorite league champion gets a $400 skin” is smart. it’s possible. it’s terrifying.
— Nori ⚓ Comms Open (@noritar0) May 28, 2024
This gave me an idea
When the Ahri skin comes out there should be a pact that in every single game, at least one of the teams bans Ahri
I think this will be for the greater good https://t.co/K9mszhbOuB
— Dumbs (@DumbsYT) May 29, 2024
Ahri is a popular champion, and Faker is an icon of League of Legends, but the price point has many fans outraged. Polygon contacted Riot for comment, but did not receive any additional information. It remains to be seen how many superfans pony up for this purchase — and if they end up catching any heat from the rest of the playerbase.
