In the ever-evolving world of Runeterra, Riot Games has paused to reconsider the rhythm of its creative releases, pushing two anticipated champions into early 2022 rather than crowding the end of a year already rich with new arrivals. The announcement, part of a September Champion Roadmap update, reflects a broader philosophy taking shape at the studio: that how a champion enters the world matters as much as what they bring to it. Alongside schedule adjustments, Riot formalized a new category of lighter champion modernization — Art & Sustainability Updates — signaling a more deliberate steward
Riot Games delays champion releases to early 2022, unveils Udyr VGU progress
A marksman designed for mid would add a unique champion to the roster
Mark
So Riot pushed back two champions. What's the actual reason—was it just a scheduling conflict, or is there something deeper going on with how they're planning releases?
Mimi
It's the event calendar. These two champions didn't fit into what Riot had planned for the end of 2021, so rather than force them in, they moved them to early 2022. It's a pretty straightforward call—they want the champions to land alongside the right narrative moment.
Luke
But we don't know what that event is, right? We're taking Riot's word that there was a conflict, but the actual details of what they're trying to coordinate with aren't public.
Mimi
That's fair. What we do know is that the original plan was six champions a year, one per role except mid lane getting two. That structure is clearly flexible now.
Mark
What about Udyr? Is that still on track, or is it also getting pushed?
Mimi
Udyr's different. It's a full visual and gameplay update, and it's still early—the project only started at the beginning of the year. Riot shared six concept sketches to get community feedback, but they're not committing to a release date yet. They said a fuller update is coming in the next few months.
Luke
So we have visual concepts but no gameplay details yet, and no timeline. That's important to note—we're looking at very early-stage work.
Mark
And Dr. Mundo is almost done?
Mimi
Nearly. The VGU is in its final phases. They've finished the Rageborn Mundo skin, which was the last major piece, and they showed off splash art and another skin variant.
Mark
What's this Art & Sustainability Update thing? Is that a big deal?
Mimi
It's a formalization of something Riot's been doing informally. They're going to systematically update older champions to keep them visually and mechanically current without doing full reworks. It's meant to be lighter than a VGU but more substantial than just a skin.
Luke
The last one they did officially was Alistar in 2015, so this is a pretty big gap. We don't know how many champions will get ASUs or how often they'll roll them out.
Mark
So what are the new champions actually like?
Mimi
One is a mid lane mage tied to Viego's story. The other two are marksmen—one designed specifically for mid lane with a grappling hook, the other a traditional bot lane marksman from a tough region of Runeterra.
Luke
And the mid lane marksman is the Sentinel of Light that was hinted at before. But we still don't have release dates for any of them, and we don't know the order they're coming in.
Mark
So basically, Riot's telling us what's coming, but not when.
Mimi
Exactly. The roadmap is more about direction than timeline.
The Pulse
- Two highly anticipated champions — a bot lane marksman and a charismatic support — were pulled from 2021's release calendar because they clashed with a packed end-of-year event lineup.
- The delay ripples through a community eager for new content, raising questions about how Riot balances narrative cohesion with player expectations.
- Udyr's long-awaited visual and gameplay rework is still in early stages, with six concept sketches released to the public to help steer the final direction.
- Dr. Mundo's overhaul is nearly complete, with the Rageborn Mundo skin serving as the final piece of a ten-skin rework effort.
- Riot is formalizing Art & Sustainability Updates as an official pipeline category, giving older champions targeted modernization without the weight of a full rework.
- A mid lane marksman with a grappling hook is in development — a deliberate design first, built specifically for a position the role has never truly called home.
In the ever-evolving world of Runeterra, Riot Games has paused to reconsider the rhythm of its creative releases, pushing two anticipated champions into early 2022 rather than crowding the end of a year already rich with new arrivals. The announcement, part of a September Champion Roadmap update, reflects a broader philosophy taking shape at the studio: that how a champion enters the world matters as much as what they bring to it. Alongside schedule adjustments, Riot formalized a new category of lighter champion modernization — Art & Sustainability Updates — signaling a more deliberate stewardship of its aging roster.
Riot Games announced in late September that two new champions — a bot lane marksman and a witty support character — would be delayed from late 2021 to early 2022. The decision came down to event scheduling: with Gwen, Viego, Akshan, and Vex already occupying the year's final stretch, the new arrivals simply didn't fit. Rather than force the releases, Riot chose to let the calendar breathe.
Meanwhile, Udyr's visual and gameplay update continues its early progress. Lead Producer Ryan Mireles shared six concept sketches for The Spirit Walker, inviting community feedback before the team commits to a final design. A fuller update is expected in the months ahead. Dr. Mundo's rework, by contrast, is nearly finished — the Rageborn Mundo skin represents the last major milestone of an overhaul that has touched ten skins in total.
Perhaps the most structurally significant announcement was the introduction of Art & Sustainability Updates, or ASUs — a formalized process for modernizing older champions without committing to full reworks. Though Riot has quietly done this before, most notably with Alistar in 2015, the company is now making it an official, visible part of its development roadmap.
Looking ahead, Riot outlined three champions in the pipeline: a mid lane mage tied to Viego's narrative, a Sentinel of Light mid lane marksman equipped with a grappling hook, and a bot lane marksman meant to capture the spirit of one of Runeterra's most resilient regions. The mid lane marksman is a deliberate design statement — while champions like Lucian and Tristana have drifted into that role, none were built for it. Riot sees an opening, and is building toward it.
Riot Games pushed back the release of two new champions from late 2021 to early 2022, the company announced in an updated Champion Roadmap published in late September. The delay affects an electrifying bot lane marksman and a witty, charismatic support character, both of which were originally scheduled to ship before the year ended. The reason: they didn't fit neatly into a planned end-of-year event alongside other releases like Gwen, Viego, Akshan, and Vex.
The roadmap also showcased fresh progress on Udyr's visual and gameplay update, a project that began earlier in the year and remains in its early phases. Riot Games' Lead Producer of Champions, Ryan Mireles, shared six potential visual concepts for The Spirit Walker, sketches drawn by Justin Albers, to gauge community reaction before the team settles on a final direction. A more comprehensive update on Udyr's VGU is expected within the coming months.
Dr. Mundo's overhaul, by contrast, is nearing completion. With the finalization of the Rageborn Mundo skin—the last major piece of his full visual and gameplay update—the project is entering its final phases. Riot showed off splash art for the new skin and previewed another cosmetic variant, Corporate Mundo, as part of the broader rework that has included ten skins total.
Beyond the delayed champions and ongoing updates, Riot introduced a new category to its development pipeline: Art & Sustainability Updates, or ASUs. These are lighter interventions than full visual and gameplay reworks, designed to keep older champions visually and mechanically current as League of Legends evolves. While Riot has performed similar updates informally in the past—Alistar received one in 2015—the company is now formalizing the process and integrating it into its public roadmap to give players clearer visibility into champion modernization efforts.
The roadmap also outlined the next wave of champions coming to Summoner's Rift. One is a mid lane mage with ties to Viego's storyline, described as integral to The Ruined King saga. The other two are marksmen with distinct roles: one is specifically designed for mid lane play, equipped with a grappling hook and positioned as a Sentinel of Light, while the other is a traditional bot lane marksman meant to give players "an electrifying glimpse into one of Runeterra's most tenacious regions, one that never knows when to quit," according to Mireles. The mid lane marksman represents a deliberate design choice, as Mireles noted that while champions like Lucian, Corki, and Tristana have seen mid lane play, none were built with that position in mind. A marksman designed specifically for mid lane, he argued, would appeal to players drawn to assassins and skirmishers while filling a gap in the roster.
The exact release order for these new champions, and how their launches will overlap with the Dr. Mundo and Udyr updates, has not yet been publicly specified. Riot's original plan called for six new champions per year—one in each role except mid lane, which would receive two—but the timeline has shifted as the company prioritizes better integration with its broader narrative and event calendar.
Notable Quotes
While champions like Lucian, Corki, and Tristana have seen play mid, none of them feel like they were made specifically for that position. A marksman designed for mid would both add a unique champion to the roster and could also be pretty appealing to a lot of mid lane assassin and skirmisher players.— Ryan Mireles, Lead Producer of Champions at Riot Games
Players will get an electrifying glimpse into one of Runeterra's most tenacious regions, one that never knows when to quit.— Ryan Mireles, describing the traditional bot lane marksman
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