Riot Games has shared new insight into the design principles driving the major gameplay overhaul coming to League of Legends in the 2026 season, outlining the reasoning behind changes to jungle influence, macro strategy and overall game pacing.
Speaking in an interview, Matthew ‘PhRoXz0N’ Leung-Harrison, Lead Gameplay Designer at Riot Games, detailed the development thinking behind the newest updates. The comments come as the first Season 1 changes arrive on the Public Beta Environment (PBE), though several aspects of the design approach were not included in Riot’s public preview.
While the official PBE post confirmed that Atakhan would be removed, PhRoXz0N explained the specific design motivations behind the decision. He noted that consistent player feedback reported ‘objective overload,’ signalling that the map had reached a point where too many mandatory fights diminished other styles of play.
“When there are too many objectives, the value of split pushing and sieging goes down,” PhRoXz0N said. Internal experimentation included relocating objective spawns and adjusting their cadence, but the team ultimately prioritised ‘reducing player fatigue and improving clarity.’
He emphasised that removing experimental features is part of the game’s long-term health: “If the response is mixed, we remove those elements decisively… This flexibility is what keeps League a living game.”
Jungle Influence
The public preview highlights changes to jungle pacing, but PhRoXz0N elaborated on why the role has been singled out for recalibration. According to him, feedback ‘across all skill bands’ described junglers as disproportionately powerful in setting the early-game outcome — particularly through first interactions around the Rift Scuttler.
He said the team wanted laners to ‘enjoy the nuances of laning’ without feeling pressured by early jungle intervention. The 2026 adjustments shift jungler influence toward later stages instead, increasing mid and late-game responsibility.
Protecting the Pro Ecosystem During Updates
PhRoXz0N noted that sweeping gameplay adjustments have significant competitive implications. While the PBE announcement did not discuss esports, he said Riot is ‘fully aware’ that patch changes can significantly impact player performance, team infrastructure and livelihoods.
He added that the team aims to strike a balance between evolving the game and protecting the stability of the pro environment, particularly during mid-season and Worlds qualification periods.
While the PBE preview outlines the mechanical changes to objectives, minion waves and sieging tools, PhRoXz0N described the broader theory behind these updates. He explained that the team is aiming for an ecosystem of counter-strategies similar to classic RTS titles such as StarCraft.
The goal is to ensure compositions centred around mobility, side pressure or melee bruisers can meaningfully challenge teamfight-oriented setups, creating a macro environment where ‘each strategy has clear strengths.’
In addition to this, the shortened spawn timers and quicker minion waves are intended to create a smoother early-game experience, but PhRoXz0N added context not included in the preview: the aim to align with younger players accustomed to faster-paced games such as VALORANT and mobile MOBAs.
However, he said the team avoided accelerating pacing purely for speed. Instead, the changes were tuned so that ‘when you want to push, the minions are already arriving,’ preserving flow for experienced players.
