Viktor is, uh, looking a little different, recently. As displayed in Riot Games' recent Season 1 update, the developer is keen to start working lore changes made in Arcane, a TV series that's been way better than it's had any right to be, into League of Legends itself. It's an understandable move in terms of marketing, but it's also been heavy handed enough to peeve the old guard something fierce.
Viktor (the champion) has existed in the game for 13 whole years. Fans have had time to grow attached to his presentation, his aesthetic, and his machine herald swag—which is why Riot coming out of nowhere and hitting him with the twink beam to have him closer match Viktor (the TV character) hasn't gone down smoothly. Gone is the relatively square, jaded idealist and genius philanthropist with an obsession for cybernetic replacement. Arcane Viktor is here, no negotiations.
The community subreddit for the character, r/viktormains, has been having an especially normal one, calling a campaign to see his slightly buffer, chonkier appearance the "revert-lution". "Why are his hips so GRABBABLE?" cries one player in a thread lamenting his slender, effeminate frame, as another chimes in: "I won't stand his top erasure!! Where is the bulge???" I'm a particular fan of this "in loving memory" card, which mourns his memory as a "scientist, innovator, divorced and communist". May he be remembered.
And, look. While I'll always have a sensible chuckle over people losing their gourd, I think I'm on the players' side, here. At least, to a certain extent. Riot has the right to do whatever it wants with its IP and game, but it does feel harsh to unilaterally redesign a swathe of skins that people paid money for years ago. A botched graphical update is one thing, body-swapping stuff that cost actual cash is another. Here's some direct comparisons, courtesy of Remus on YouTube.
Riot does, at least, seem to be taking the feedback into account. As shared by user VrrSolo on the same subreddit, both the Creator and the Death Sworn Viktor skins have received touch-ups on the Public Beta Environment, League of Legends' test server. Namely, Riot's added more details and restored some of the chonkiness that Viktor fans had lost.
It's only a small step towards glorious reconciliation, though, with said subreddit responding with a lukewarm appreciation at best. If anything, this whole rework does seem a little poorly-handled. League of Legends' skins aren't exactly unified in their aesthetic—and there are plenty of skins that present alternate-canon versions of its roster. So why go back and reinvent the wheel when players could have both? Still, it looks like Riot's all-in on weaving Arcane into the game's universe, so here's hoping for some smoother inclusions in the future.
