Riot Games confirms League of Legends voice chat plans

Riot Games says League of Legends voice chat is planned but will require players to remain in good standing

Riot Games has confirmed that voice chat is being planned for League of Legends, although the feature is expected to arrive gradually as the developer works to address moderation and player behaviour concerns.

League of Legends launched 16 years ago without built-in team voice communication, relying instead on a combination of text chat and an in-game ping system to help players coordinate strategies.

While those tools remain widely used, Riot said expectations around communication in competitive multiplayer games have changed since the game’s release.

In a development update, Riot acknowledged that voice communication has become a common feature in modern online games. “Team-based competitive games have evolved since League was released,” the company said. “When we launched, in-game voice communications weren't a standard in PC games. But now it's not only the norm, it's expected.”

Riot said the company has reconsidered its earlier position after hearing feedback from players who felt the feature was missing from the multiplayer online battle arena game.

The developer said that voice communication “has the potential to improve the overall gameplay experience for players that would like to use it.” However, Riot also recognised concerns about behaviour in voice communication channels.

The company noted worries about “a world where some people use team voice to be jerks,” adding that it is “committed to making sure that that world does not come to pass.”

According to Riot, earlier attempts to implement voice chat were limited by moderation challenges. Monitoring voice communication is more difficult than reviewing text chat, particularly in a competitive environment where heated interactions can occur.

The studio said improvements in technology now provide better tools to detect and address harmful behaviour during voice communication.

Despite confirming the plan, Riot said the feature will not arrive immediately. “We're going to extensively work, test, and iterate to make this a feature worthy of your trust,” the company said.

Riot also said it plans to consult players around the world before launching the feature and may test voice chat in specific regions or languages first.

Access to the feature will also be limited to accounts in good standing. “No matter what, players will have to be in good standing in order to access team voice,” the developer stated.

Riot confirmed that existing communication tools such as text chat and the ping system will remain available alongside any future voice chat options. Further details about the feature are expected in a future development update later this year.