Provide something for everyone

The aesthetic and feel of League of Legends is reminiscent of World of Warcraft: fantasy mixed with rudimentary technology. Within that loose visual framework is the potential to cater to every conceivable demographic, and while this usually spells doom in game design, Riot found a way to vie for everyone’s dollars at once.

The trick is to design individual champions for different groups of people, instead of trying to make every character and visual component appeal to everybody. Champions typically range from dark and brutal (Tryndamere, the Barbarian King) to sexy (Sona, Maven of the Strings). But that’s not all! Like Todd McFarlane? How about Cho’Gath, a dead ringer for Violator? Or, if you’re into pirates, why not try out Gangplank or Miss Fortune? Equal opportunity racketeering!

Like ninjas? We’ve got at least three of them! Collect them all!

There are even champion selections for the cutesy-loving crowd. A wide range of Yordles (think gnomes -- except the males have hampster features) is available for your saccharine needs. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Werewolves! Vampires! Vampire hunters! Trolls! Robots! Whatever your interests or leanings, you’ll find a champion to like and purchase.

In this way, League of Legends appeals to everyone -- folks who like hardcore fantasy tropes, Anne Rice and Twilight fans, and the chibi-loving crowd. That means everyone’s money is up for grabs.

Focus on community

Want your game to be successful? People need to play it and keep paying for it incrementally; you need to give them a reason to keep going. The reason is generally other people who are also invested in the experience; however, just getting a bunch of folks who like a game together does not a community make. You need some grease to help those gears turn.

Riot’s biggest step towards creating a healthy community for lies in the Summoner’s Code. This list of guidelines and standards acts as a peer-review system, where serious infractions are sent to a special Tribunal forum for voting. Multiple offenses can mean a temporary or permanent ban, locking a player out of his precious purchased content, so there’s a definite impetus to be cool to your fellow gamer.

While it’s not a 100% effective method of jerk weeding, it does set the tone for Riot’s commitment to the game, a commitment that is bolstered by the personalities that run the show. The people at Riot are passionate about what they do, and it shows.

At public events and tournaments, expect to see Nika "Nikasaur" Harper, David "Phreak" Turley, and other prominent Riot staff walking around, interacting with fans, and wearing custom Riot uniforms with their handles readily visible. Putting community managers and producers on the front line definitely helps to establish a personality for the company and its products, and the ease of which a regular player can interact and chat with key development personalities is one of the things that makes League of Legends such an interactive and inclusive experience.

Likewise, the level of customer service Riot offers is something a lot of other freemium developers could learn from. Recently, a promotion involving Riot’s Facebook page allowed players to unlock a free champion, Tristana, plus a special Riot recoloring of her regular skin. However, the process to unlock this free content was broken for many users, so on the advice of a friend, I submitted a support ticket. Within a day, I had an apology over the inconvenience I was caused, and Riot Girl Tristana had been credited to my account.

While that might not be incredibly impressive, my experience with Riot at PAX Prime 2011 really cinched the importantance of good customer service. While waiting in the two-and-a-half hour line to play Dominion, the new League of Legends game mode, I finally reached the front only to be asked to wait 20 minutes for the next game, as the other people behind me didn’t want to break up their teams. I agreed, and for being “such a cool guy,” I was given $10 in Riot Points for my trouble and allowed to leave the line temporarily to stretch my legs.

That made me feel valued, and it’s something no other freemium developer attempting to court my wallet has ever come close to. It’s just one more reason why I now believe that freemium as a distribution model can definitely work -- so long as developers stop treating it like a clever way to wrestle people’s money out of their pockets and instead treat it as a new way to deliver a great and memorable experience.