Riot delays private League of Legends replays to Patch 26.21 after backlash from coaches and creators
Riot has postponed making LoL replays private, which was planned for Patch 26.20, after Midbeast, Jankos and G2 coach Memento criticised the change.
Riot Games has put on hold its plan to make League of Legends replays private. The change was meant to arrive with Patch 26.20 on 6 October, but after complaints from content creators, coaches and professional players, it has been moved to Patch 26.21, according to Insider Gaming. Riot has not given a release date for that patch.
The plan would have stopped players downloading replays of games they did not play in, including professional players' solo queue games. Players would still be able to download replays of their own matches.
What the change would do
Under the plan, third-party apps and websites would lose access to replay downloads completely. Coaches, analysts and video makers would no longer be able to download a pro player's ranked game and study it.
Riot said the change closes a security hole that people had been using to build unauthorised tools from League game data. Riot did not say exactly what those tools were. YouTuber Necrit claimed that thousands of replays were being collected to train bots and possibly to make cheating software, but this has not been confirmed.
Riot told players it is "working on a solution" so that creators and coaches are not seriously affected before the restriction takes effect.
Why creators and coaches objected
The reaction after the Patch 26.20 notes was quick. Esports.gg reported that many players were unhappy as soon as the patch notes came out. Insider Gaming collected comments from well-known members of the community:
- Drew "Midbeast" Timbs, a YouTuber with more than 500,000 subscribers whose videos rely on replays, announced a farewell video.
- Marcin "Jankos" Jankowski said analysts use replays to study jungle pathing and coaches use them for review.
- G2 Esports coach Jonas "Memento" Elmarghichi said watching pro solo queue games is an important way for young players to learn, and they should keep that access.
- Elicast said official and team videos often use replays to make a point, and that highlight channels would suffer most.
The Skin Spotlights channel also criticised Riot for announcing such a big change in the patch notes without warning.
A busy period for League changes
The replay plan is the latest of several unannounced changes to League. Insider Gaming notes that recent patches have also changed how minions pick targets and added last-hit indicators in Ranked.
The timing matters for esports. The World Championship Play-Ins start at 2am Malaysia time on 16 October, and the dispute comes as coaches and analysts prepare for the event. Ordinary players who download replays to learn from top players would also be affected.
What happens next
The delay gives Riot time to build an exception for coaches and content creators. For now, replays work as before. Riot has not said when Patch 26.21 will be released or whether the replay change will definitely be part of it.
Key takeaways
- Riot delayed making League of Legends replays private, which was planned for Patch 26.20.
- The change is now planned for Patch 26.21, with no confirmed date.
- Riot says the change fixes a security hole used to build unauthorised tools from game data.
- Creators, coaches and pros including Midbeast, Jankos and Memento criticised the plan.
FAQ Can I still download other players' LoL replays? Yes, for now. The restriction was taken out of Patch 26.20 and is planned for Patch 26.21. Why does Riot want to make replays private? Riot says a security hole was being used to build unauthorised tools from League game data. Will coaches and content creators lose replay access? Riot says it is working on a solution so they are not seriously affected, but it has not said how.
Sources: Insider Gaming, Esports.gg