League of Legends always hits peak hype around the beginning of a new season, as players get ready to drop into a new year of ranked. New content and a new chance to climb to the rank you want make this time of year special, but there's another key element.
The new season cinematic is something fans around the world look forward to, to build hype and remind them why they play. This year though, we've been let down, and the player base has noticed. Here's everything you need to know.
Build Your Collection: Shop League of Legends Collectables at Sideshow
League of Legends Brink of Infinity
Brink of Infinity is the new video out to celebrate the launch of Season 2023, and the start of ranked and lolesports. This is not to be confused with Edge of Infinity, the music video released by the LEC earlier this year, which had a considerably better reception.
In the past few years, we've seen Warriors, and The Call, both some of the finest pieces of work Riot has put to screen. These set the standard for League of Legends cinematics, and rarely fail to give fans chills even on a rewatch.
This year though, we see none of the same hype, with a new format of video which seems to accomplish very little. Despite Quickshot's iconic voice in the background, the lack of an anthem, and any champions, makes the new trailer underwhelming.
What went wrong?
The featured champion of a new cinematic has often been teased prior to release. Ornn received his very own ward before the 2022 video, and Aatrox received the same treatment this year, before the release of Brink of Infinity.
Fans were very excited to finally see the Darkin Godkiller appear in a cinematic, but instead all we got was his sword in the wall of the baron pit. The lack of any champions makes the video hard to get into.
The official League of Legends account has released a statement on Twitter, justifying the 'huge investment' they claimed to be making into League this year.
Hopefully, the devs will be able to reassure us with some updates down the line. In the meantime, however, it looks like League of Legends may be about as far down Riot's list of priorities as the LCS.