How far back will the LoL classic mode take League players?

League of Legends players can finally stop treating Classic as just another rumour. After weeks of leaks, datamines, and speculation from the community, Riot Games has officially revealed League of Legends Classic, confirming that a throwback version of its 16-year-old MOBA is on the way. While the announcement answers the biggest question, it leaves plenty more hanging in the air.

Rather than revealing exactly what League of Legends Classic is, Riot's first trailer pokes fun at the debate surrounding it. The live-action video asks what a "Classic" version of League of Legends should actually be. Is it a specific season? An old patch? A beta build? Champions with their original abilities? Instead of settling on a single answer, Riot hints that it could be a little bit of everything.

What is League of Legends Classic?

If you were hoping for gameplay or a full breakdown of how League of Legends Classic works, Riot isn't ready to show its hand just yet.

The reveal focuses on the idea behind the project rather than the mode itself, with Riot confirming that more details will be shared during the Mid-Season Invitational. Riot says more details will be revealed during the MSI Finals on 12 July at 3.00 pm KST (2.00 pm SGT / 11 July, 11.00 pm PDT).

With the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational taking place in Daejeon, South Korea, players won't have to wait much longer to find out exactly which version of League Riot plans to bring back.

What do we know about League of Legends Classic so far?

Before Riot officially acknowledged the project, former League of Legends professional Doinb and Hall of Legends player Uzi had already sparked speculation during separate livestreams. Clips from both streams quickly spread across Reddit and social media, with many fans taking them as the strongest sign yet that a Classic server was in development.

Doinb suggested the mode would arrive sooner rather than later, saying, "Bro, all I know is that the Classic server is supposed to come out next month." He also said he'd like to reunite former WE players and other veterans to stream together again "just like the old days", adding, "Back then we used to queue up together. People would invite me to play with them. But this time maybe we'd all get together at someone's place and play."

Although he expected the launch to draw plenty of attention, Doinb also admitted it was too early to know whether the excitement would last. "I think it's going to be very popular when it first launches. Whether it can maintain popularity, that's hard to say."

Uzi also appeared to let the project slip before stopping himself mid-conversation. "So word on the street is that League of Legends is dropping Classic server," he said, before asking, "Is this public knowledge? Whoa, but I still can't talk about this." He then added, "But it should be coming soon."

As the conversation continued, Uzi wondered how far Riot planned to turn back the clock. He questioned whether players would be returning to the old AD Graves meta, before suggesting that the Classic server could reach further back in time.

While Riot remains tight-lipped, LoL dataminers have continued digging through the game's Public Beta Environment (PBE) in search of clues. Artwork and skins linked to older versions of the game have already surfaced, but they have yet to paint a clear picture of which era, or combination of eras, League of Legends Classic is actually based on.

When will Riot reveal more about League of Legends Classic?

Riot may have confirmed that League of Legends Classic exists, but many of the biggest questions are still unanswered. Whether the mode revisits one particular era, combines multiple versions of the game, or takes a completely different approach remains to be seen.

Whether League of Legends Classic revisits one era or blends together several chapters of the game's history remains a mystery for now, with Riot promising a closer look during the MSI Finals on 12 July at 3.00 pm KST / 2.00 pm SGT / 11 July, 11.00 pm PDT.