Riot opts to cover up part of the Team BDS emote

Following Riot Games' controversial decision to alter the 100 Thieves Akali emote, the company has now also changed part of the Team BDS one as well.

Fearing misuse of the emote in a way which would foment toxicity in the game, Riot opted to cover up the hook end of the fishing pole on the BDS emote.

History repeats itself

Riot's motivation for altering BDS' emote appears to be the original fishing hook's similarity to the short lived "bait" ping, which Riot removed from the game in the late 2023.

The "bait" ping used to look just like the part of Team BDS' emote that Riot decided to cover up (Credit: E4RLy on X)

Also represented by a fishing hook, the "bait" ping was removed from the game because, once players realized its similarity to a noose, the ping began to be misused in negative ways.

Fearing a potential growth in toxicity were the emote to be used in a similar manner to the old "bait" ping, Riot decided to avoid the problem altogether and change the BDS emote so that the hook end of the fishing pole is no longer visible.

A growing discontent

While Riot's intentions may well have been noble, the growing sentiment among League of Legends players is that the company has gone soft.

After the company's alteration to the 100 Thieves Akali emote for reasons similarly related to toxicity, frustration is mounting among players in attachment to Riot's decision to alter what were thought of as two of the most attractive emotes from the set of team-made global emotes.

Ultimately, a divide will always exist among League of Legends players between those who feel player expression is being hindered and those who would rather avoid toxic behavior altogether.

As for Riot, it is clear which group they side with, even if those may be in the apparent minority.

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Image source: Riot Games/Team BDS

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