League of Legends players have been divided after the developers changed Akali’s base voiceover ahead of her Star Guardian skin release. Riot has addressed the criticism directly, acknowledging it might take some getting used to but they’re listening to any feedback.
Change always takes a while to get used to. And considering the community grew rather comfortable with the previous Akali voice actress in League of Legends, Krizia Bajos, the community was taken aback when she launched with new voice lines ahead of the Star Guardian event.
While a new voiceover was promised for Akali’s Star Guardian skin, players weren’t expecting a total VO overhaul for the rest of her skins too. Ashly Burch was brought on for both, and although the lines are the same, the change has received a mixed reception.
These new voice lines are generally more soft spoken, lacking the harsh edge that characterized the champion prior. The community lashed back at the changes, with many wanting the original to remain.
Developer ‘NeoLexical’ addressed the concerns on Reddit.
“It is easier to voice out negative sentiment online versus positive ones,” they said. “Generally change takes time to get used to and it will take time for those who love the change to voice out their opinions. It’s very common to reject change.”
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That statement might ring true, but NeoLexical also acknowledged it might shift Akali away from the perception players previously had: “I very much understand that the Base VO and the multitude of small variations that makes Akali distinct in our minds, is very beloved and has its own appeal.
“We want Akali to stand in the middle of Zed and Shen as Chaotic Good. The new VO does make Akali more heroic, but potentially lost some of the chaotic or anti-hero elements.”
They laid out two options for the community: Keep the changes and hope players change their tune, or revert the VO changes and rerecord down the line.
Riot is currently waiting on more feedback from the community, so it’s difficult to say if they’ll actually revert to the old VOs. Many players do enjoy the new voice lines, but the negative opinions are currently drastically louder.
