Riot just laid off hundreds of workers. The community is not happy right now, but as people get time to process the info, they also realize that key people in the champion design team have been let go.
Shyvana is getting a Visual and Gameplay Update, something the community has been asking for. As we head into the year of the Dragon, players were excited to know that this unique dragon-themed champion is going to be getting a huge update.
With the layoffs from Riot, players are worried about the future of these projects. So, will Shyvana's VGU be delayed before it even had a change to run?
LoL: Shyvana VGU Gameplay Designer Laid Off
Stephen "Riot Raptorr" Auker, who was the gameplay designer of Naafiri, as well as the designer of the 2023 Rell mid-scope update, has been let go by Riot. He shared the information on January 23, 2024 when the announcement of the mass layoffs were made by Riot.
Riot Raptorr had also revealed that he had been working on Smolder for a bit as well, and also stated that he was working on the Shyvana VGU. With him being let go, some of the players have wondered what might happen to the Shyvana's Visual and Gameplay Update.
What will happen to Shyvana's rework after her main gameplay designer was laid-off?
by u/KanskiForce in leagueoflegends
Since Shyvana's VGU was only set for 2025, there likely won't be too much of a delay. During the LoL Season 14 kick-off video, players were told that they would have to be patient. Since the VGU was so far out anyways, it is highly unlikely that the VGU has gone further than the concept phase yet.
So, Riot will likely assign the VGU to another employee, who is going to take over from where Riot Raptorr left off to bring the new and improved Shyvana to League of Legends in 2025. So, players shouldn't be worried about the VGU and the release, since it was always going to be in 2025 and this change in personel shouldn't hinder that release window either.