“Overwhelmingly positive feedback,” says Riot’s global head of LoL Esports

Riot Games has officially confirmed that Fearless Draft will remain in League of Legends esports for the rest of 2025. The format received overwhelming support from fans and professional teams, so Riot has decided to implement it across regional leagues and through all major tournaments, including Worlds.

In an exclusive interview with Dot Esports, Riot Games’ global head of LoL Esports, Chris Greeley, addressed the decision and a recent report that had indicated Riot’s consideration of extending Fearless Draft throughout 2025. Greeley explained how Riot initially intended the format to be temporary but was swayed by the “overwhelmingly positive” reception from players and fans.

Following its initial rollout across all regions in 2025, Fearless Draft quickly gained traction as a fresh and strategic approach to champion selection. The format will now be a staple throughout the year, with MSI and Worlds incorporating it into all best-of-three and best-of-five matches while maintaining the Swiss Stage as best-of-one.

In a past interview with Dot Esports, ahead of Fearless Draft’s debut in all Tier 1 leagues, Greeley emphasized that Riot refined the format of Fearless Draft based on player and viewer feedback, confident that it was the right move for League esports—which proved to be the case.

Less than a month from the start of Winter Split this year, Riot began gathering feedback on Fearless Draft by conducting internal surveys, polling professional teams and fans to assess their perspectives on the new format and whether it would be best to keep it throughout 2025. According to Greeley, Riot’s biggest consideration was that the players in the ecosystem had prepared for a different set of rules, which were suddenly changing. And while some teams expressed concerns about the sudden shift—particularly because of having made roster decisions based on the previously agreed-upon format—the consensus was that the competitive and entertainment value of Fearless Draft made it a necessary evolution for the League scene. 

Many professional players and coaches have already expressed strong support for Fearless Draft. Among them, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je emphasized that Riot had carefully evaluated the decision, and ultimately, the enjoyment of the fans should take priority. Other figures in the esports world, such as G2 Esports’ Dylan Falco, Fnatic’s Grabbz, and KOI’s Myrwn, echoed similar sentiments. Falco highlighted the format’s benefits for both competitive integrity and audience engagement, while Myrwn called it “the future of competitive League.”

With Riot’s commitment to Fearless Draft for the remainder of 2025, League esports is entering a new era of strategic depth and unpredictability for all teams to master. And who knows, maybe, as First Stand results can attest, new teams can reach unpredictable heights in part due to this new system.