League of Legends has been named the single most popular video game on Reddit in 2020. The popular MOBA has certainly had an eventful year, for better or for worse. Back in August, developer Riot Games landed in very hot water when it attempted to sign a League championship deal with Saudi Arabian city state NEOM. The outcry that followed, responding to Saudi Arabia's horrifying history of crimes against the LGBT community, prompted the developer to form an ethics committee to prevent such a fracas from occurring again.
Unfortunately, it couldn't avoid controversy for long. In order to promote the addition of recent champion Seraphine, Riot launched a social media account purporting to belong to the new character. This account tracked the singer's rise to stardom in an alternate, modern-day version of the League world. This clever marketing gimmick was soiled, however, when Seraphine's account began tweeting about anxiety and mental health issues, going so far as too request attention for her problems on Mental Health Day. This caused problems for Riot again when fans accused it of appropriating space in the mental health discussion for its ad campaign, taking attention that should be devoted to real life people with real issues. Riot was again reticent, and promised to exercise more care when dealing with the character in the future.
This has all given fans a lot to talk about, and it shows. Reddit has released its Year In Review statistics for 2020, a year which has obviously been very worthy of discussion for multiple reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic, the US general election, and the Black Lives Matter movement were all hot topics this year, as were lighter topics like quarantine activities, the ever-popular "Am I The Asshole" subreddit, and, of course, video games. The website compiled the five most popular games on Reddit by community activity throughout the year, and League of Legends tops the list. The number two spot went to Minecraft, and third place is the only game on the list that was actually released in 2020, Game of the Year contender Animal Crossing. Fourth and fifth place go to Fortnite and Destiny, respectively.
Of course, not all the news concerning League of Legends has been rife with controversy. This year has seen the arrival of multiple champions that haven't enraged anyone, and plenty of updates that fans have genuinely enjoyed. Riot has also announced Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, which is a turn-based RPG set to release early next year. Fans of the game who enjoy learning more about its story and setting should be thrilled to dive into this new title.
2020 has been an eventful year for a long list of reasons, but it's also been a big year for video games. It's interesting to see that, in the rush of big name titles coming out for new next-gen systems, so many Reddit fans have latched on to League of Legends. It's proof of just how enduring and beloved this title is, even so many years after its release. With a fanbase this devoted, there's no telling where Riot will take its landmark MOBA next, or how many more controversies it will be able to weather.
Source: Reddit
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