Ideas for new champions can start anywhere. These days, we try to design a champion from the ground up with owners from gameplay, narrative, and concept design all present from the start so that no piece needs to be pasted on later in development. This means the hook for a new champion can be a single ability that doesn’t exist in the game yet (like hook-shotting to a wall), an inspiring piece of concept art (like a pink-haired punk with giant punching gloves), a unique role not in the game yet (Jungle Marksman), or a thematic archetype (Druid, or Space Dragon). The hook can then help inspire the rest of the champion’s design, gravitating towards what feels clean, cohesive, and natural with everything else.

Generating those ideas is the responsibility of creatives (artists, writers, designers) on the League of Legends team. Primarily this falls to those working on new champions directly, but often with the inspirational help, feedback, and pitches of others around the organization. We have folders bursting with short stories, paper kit prototypes, and quick and dirty as well as intricate pieces of concept art of champions who never made it past the earliest stages of ideation. It often takes dozens of ideas to come up with the one that feels fresh and iconic for our always-growing roster!