Riot has responded to the backlash caused by recent adjustments to League of Legends Akali
League of Legends players are split in half when the devs modified Akali’s voiceover ahead of her Star Guardian skin. And, given that the community had become accustomed to the original Akali voice in League of Legends, Krizia Bajos, fans were astonished when she debuted new voice lines ahead of the Star Guardian event.
The voice actress who provided the lines for Akali’s Legendary Star Guardian skin has replaced all of Akali’s voice lines.
The new voice lines have an entirely different tone, giving the assassin a fresh sense of personality. Ashly Burch provided the new voiceovers, which are currently accessible on the PBE.
Some players have even protested the modification, claiming that the new voice is inappropriate for the champion. These new voice lines are often soft-spoken, more heroic, and result in a lack of the assassin’s hard edge.
Riot Games product manager NeoLexical also stated that they have not ruled out the possibility of restoring the voice adjustments, but would require more time to absorb the feedback from both sides.
“It is easier to voice out negative sentiment online versus positive ones,”
“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.”
“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.”
Riot is presently awaiting further community feedback, so it’s tough to predict if the previous VOs will be reinstated. Many players like the new voice lines, but others are also hoping the old one would return.