China has always been Riot Games’ favorite in terms of fanbase and revenue. With some exclusive features and skins, chromas, some recent leak footage might suggest these features will go to the global servers.
As we all know, skin purchases are one of Riot Games’ primary source of income for League of Legends. Chromas are generally recolorings of certain skins that are only offered during special occasions. This characteristic makes them highly valuable, and possessing them is a source of pride for a League player, further distinguishing their champion.
New skin feature leaked from China servers
As the well-known leaker Big Bad Bear reveals in his video, there are certain “special chroma splash” in China. These are chromas that are exclusively available through their gacha systems, which we are not subject to.
We did not, however, miss out because these special chromas were only accessible on their website and were never available in-game. Until lately, that is.
A leaked clip of the “Internal CN PBE Test” has surfaced, revealing these identical chromas in the client.
While you may believe that the chromas are only visible in the client, footage clearly shows players switching between “normal” skins and chromas and these exclusive ones in champion select with a new switch feature, also with new chromas such as the Obsidian chroma for the Enduring Sword Talon skin, or the Guqin Sona chroma.
The clip even runs into the loading screen, demonstrating that the chromas are used for in-game models as well.
This might be an extremely early leak for something that will be available in all LoL regions. We, on the other hand, have our doubts. It ultimately comes down to one fundamental fact: champion selection. The chromas we see in the leaks are of champions and skins that are popular in China and are frequently played.
Alternatively, the skins themselves are inspired by Chinese mythology and culture. And, given the genuine beauty of that culture, Riot provides the China region with some exclusive chromas splash arts.