The League of Legends S15 season is nearing its end. Riot’s official designer, in the most recent developer report, responded directly to inquiries about League of Legends 2, confirming that LoL 2 will not be released. Instead, a significant update is scheduled for next year. For season S16, the game will receive a complete client overhaul, the visual design of Summoner’s Rift will be refreshed, and some new gameplay elements will be added.

It must be said, this year’s Hextech Mayhem was truly a success. Before the World Championship began, the Chinese server gave away skins wildly to retain veteran players, even launching various 6-yuan skin draws. But after Hextech Mayhem exploded in popularity, these perks disappeared. The developers even expanded server capacity unprecedentedly, showing how many players joined the Hextech Mayhem mode. Riot’s development efforts here have effectively extended LoL’s lifespan.

GEN achieved an impressive 72% win rate throughout the year

Recently, foreign media compiled statistics on global LoL teams’ win rates for 2025. GEN topped the list with a 72% win rate. Second place went to North America’s FLY, with a 70% win rate. Other teams included CFO at 67.5%, HLE at 64.5%, and the only LPL team on the list, AL, also reached 64%. The world champion T1 had only a 62% win rate.

FLY and CFO have been dominant forces in their respective leagues, but both teams are expected to decline sharply next year. FLY lost Bwipo, and CFO’s jungler and mid laner have left. GEN’s results are remarkable — maintaining over a 70% win rate in the highly competitive LCK. The “intra-league phantom god” reputation is well-earned. Since GEN will keep the same roster next year, it seems unlikely that Faker’s dream of a league championship will come true.

Faker’s conversation with the South Korean Prime Minister

League of Legends legend Faker was recently invited to speak with the South Korean Prime Minister, an event loaded with prestige. The Prime Minister asked: “What was your biggest struggle in deciding to become a professional player?” Faker replied that initially, he worried about earning money, as the professional scene then seemed unstable with a short career span. Few players lasted beyond ten years, and he feared his career would be brief.

Besides that, Faker emphasized the benefits of reading during the discussion. He said that reading helps relax the mind and broadens one’s thinking. Currently, he reads about 20 books a year. Considering his intense schedule packed with training, matches, and business commitments, managing to read over 20 books is impressive. Of course, it depends on the book — something like “Dream of the Red Chamber” would take months to finish.

Miller reveals Breathe’s transition to streaming companionship

Former WBG top laner Breathe, after a failed transfer negotiation with IG during the offseason, joined the ranks of inactive players. LPL official commentators Miller and 957 recently revealed on stream that Breathe has switched to streaming companionship, charging 1,000 yuan per hour. If he streams six hours daily, that’s 180,000 yuan monthly. No wonder some LPL pros skip matches to earn money streaming companionship—it’s really lucrative.

Of course, this mainly applies to top-tier players; lesser-known ones likely charge much less. The overall LPL environment is tough now, heavily influenced by external factors. Players can pursue other income streams besides competing, unlike in the LCK where playing professionally is the sole livelihood. Importantly, streaming companionship has fewer restrictions and is more comfortable than staying in a club. However, this trend may cause the LPL to weaken over time.

Conclusion:

If players treat competing as a temporary phase and shift to streaming companionship when uninterested, the gap between LPL and LCK will only widen. This is a major reason for LPL’s decline. Even if LPL players don’t compete, they have fallback options. In contrast, LCK players rely solely on professional play as their career path.

So, do you think Breathe will make a comeback?

Feel free to leave your thoughts and join the discussion!