In 2023, when people think about competitive gaming, chances are that the first game that pops to mind is going to be League of Legends. Alongside Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Defenders of the Ancients 2, Fortnite, etc., League of Legends has won the hearts and minds of gamers and game enthusiasts from all over the world.
The game’s incredible popularity has made it a staple for competitive gaming (or eSports) tournaments around the world. And not just that, but the game has become the number one, most popular eSport game of all time, a title which it has held since at least 2020.
This fact, along with the general popularization of gaming and eSports, has led to an increased interest in wagering on eSports. A ton of betting apps for Android & iOS have popped up, which allow players to put down wagers on competitive gaming.
Despite the game being released in 2009, it is now more popular than ever. Thirteen years later, and new media, new champions, and new products are still being released. More importantly, the game still draws in new fans. In fact, just recently, Riot Games announced the new champions dropping in 2023.
New Champions for 2023
During the recent Riot Games League of Legends showcase, the developers announced quite a litany of major news. They’ve reworked a major champion, Aurelion Sol and finally finalized his abilities, developed some new skins for quite a few heroes, and also made claims about future reworks of other existing heroes. Most importantly, however, is the fact that the news included all-new champions, which will be released in 2023. So, let us take a look at these champions, which players of Riot Game’s hit game will be able to take control of in the coming year.
Milio
Milio is a support enchanter, who has been announced since 2022. What makes him unique is that he is the first champion coming from the Ixtal region since Qiyana’s release back in 2019. As players will know, Ixtalians are known for their powerful elemental magic, and Milio is no different.
An enchanter capable of controlling fire, Milio can heal and buff his allies. Meaning, he will likely be picked up by those players wanting to support the team, rather than damage dealers. Riot Games have not revealed too much about Milio just yet. We don’t know what he looks like, or when he will be released. We just know it will be some time in 2023.
Naafiri
In direct opposition to Milio, Naafiri is going to be a mid-lane assassin, focused on dealing heavy damage to single foes. According to Riot Games, her main abilities will be focused on straightforward combat, and her abilities will be suitable for long, drawn out fights.
Though we have no official content in regards to her appearance, certain leaks have confirmed that she will have a canine-like appearance. She will either resemble a wolf, dog, or some other form of canine. We know very little about Naafiri beyond that, but assassin players should certainly be excited to try her out.
Other Champions
Two more champions were teased, but a name was not even given for either of them. One of them Jungle-dweller from either the realms of Noxus or Zaun, who seems to live in a dark, gothic castle, straight out of Dracula. They are expected to drop in late Summer or early Fall.
As far as the other one is concerned, they will apparently be a mid laner. So far, their origins are unknown, and their class is not-yet-revealed. Though their abilities will be focused for the middle lane, and they seem to have an artistic theme.
That is all that has been revealed thus far in regards to both of these champions. Apart from them, Riot Games have announced the release of completely reworked champions. Aurelion Sol and Skarner have been finalized after a lot of workshopping. A release date can be expected somewhere in 2023.
Final Thoughts
League of Legends is by far one of the most popular games in the world today. So, quite a lot of people are excited for the new content coming in 2023. The MOBA genre is getting popularity, however there are still people who prefer multiplayer FPS games. So, if you like shooters more, there are quite a few great ones coming in 2023.
The most notable ones are the BioShock-inspired, Atomic Heart, the RoboCop game, and the science fiction epic, Starfield. The long-awaited sequel to PayDay 2 is also going to be released in 2023, so, fans of the series have that to look forward to.