Ao Shin in League Of Legends Will Not Come Soon

TL;DR

  • Ao Shin remains in extended development with no near-term release expected
  • Riot prioritizes quality over speed, following successful patterns from champions like Lee Sin and Azir
  • Champion names often change dramatically during development, with many having placeholder names
  • The development process involves multiple iterations to ensure champion quality and gameplay balance
  • Understanding Riot’s approach helps set realistic expectations for future champion releases

Riot Games initially unveiled the dragon champion Ao Shin back in September 2013, creating significant excitement within the League of Legends community. However, the champion has remained in development limbo for years, with no official release date in sight. Recently, Meddler, Riot’s lead champion designer, provided crucial insights into the champion’s current status through community discussions.

His direct statement captured the situation perfectly: “Ao Shin someday, won’t be soon.” This concise update reflects Riot’s transparent approach to managing player expectations while maintaining development integrity.

The extended version reveals deeper development challenges: “We invested substantial resources into Ao Shin but ultimately determined he wasn’t meeting our quality standards, leading us to pause development temporarily. We remain committed to his core concept, which we find exceptionally compelling, along with several innovative mechanics we were exploring. Our intention is to eventually bring him to the Rift, but players shouldn’t anticipate his arrival in the immediate future. We prefer taking additional time to fully realize his potential rather than rushing an incomplete champion to release.”

Regarding specific timelines, Meddler clarified: “For context on development schedules, early 2015 would be considered ‘soon’ or even ‘very soon’ in our planning framework. Ao Shin’s development timeline extends significantly beyond that timeframe, unfortunately.”

This development approach isn’t unique to Ao Shin – several now-iconic champions underwent similar extended development cycles. Lee Sin, Elise, and Azir all experienced multiple iterations before reaching their final forms that players know today.

Lee Sin originally existed as ‘Blind Monk’ during pre-launch development phases. Elise began her conceptual life as ‘Priscilla the Spider Queen,’ while Azir was initially developed as ‘Seth the sand mage.’ These transformations demonstrate Riot’s commitment to iterative design, where initial concepts evolve significantly through testing and refinement.

The company’s philosophy emphasizes that taking additional development time typically results in superior champion quality and gameplay experience. This method prevents releasing underdeveloped champions that might require extensive reworks later, ultimately saving development resources and maintaining game balance.

For players tracking champion releases, understanding this development cadence helps set realistic expectations. While the wait can be frustrating, the final product usually justifies the extended development period through better gameplay integration and balance.

The naming discussion around Ao Shin reveals fascinating aspects of Riot’s creative process. Meddler noted: “His name’s definitely something we’ll need to evaluate, determining whether ‘Ao Shin’ remains appropriate for his finalized version. We can’t provide any probability assessment currently, as we haven’t begun that evaluation phase yet.”

Meddler expanded on champion naming conventions: “Internal designations often serve as temporary placeholders, with many champions spending considerable development time under different names before receiving their official titles. Sometimes these are relatively serious working names like Seth, while other times they’re humorous references – Vel’koz spent several months being called ‘Professor Eyebeam’ during development.”

“During one development phase, Rek’Sai was internally known as ‘Joan T. Burrow-woman.’ Surprisingly, even the development team was astonished when her official name was revealed instead of maintaining that placeholder. Jinx remained ‘Seven’ until very late in development – and for clarification to Vi enthusiasts, this name had no connection to Vi. Additionally, as many players know, Jayce was originally named ‘Apollo’ during development.”

This naming flexibility allows developers to focus on gameplay mechanics and thematic elements without being constrained by naming decisions made early in the creative process.

The release timeline for Ao Shin remains uncertain and distant. Community hopes for a 2015 release appear overly optimistic based on current development status. For additional League of Legends updates and information, visit mmogah.com.

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Understanding Riot’s development methodology provides valuable context for anticipating future champion releases. The company’s commitment to quality over speed, while sometimes frustrating for eager players, typically results in more polished and balanced additions to the champion roster.

Ao Shin in League Of Legends will not coming soon

Action Checklist

  • Monitor official Riot developer updates for Ao Shin development progress
  • Follow community discussions on champion development patterns and timelines
  • Research historical champion development cycles to set realistic expectations
  • Analyze champion naming conventions and placeholder name patterns
  • Engage with testing community feedback when champions reach PBE stages

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