Since we introduced LABS back in v1.6, it’s been incredible to see how many of you have jumped into some of the more experimental game modes we’ve been exploring. Over 1.5 million players have tried out a LABS game so far and the mode’s popularity is holding strong, all without negatively affecting Standard or Ranked queues. That’s a big win and we couldn’t be happier, which is why we’re putting in the work to evolve LABS over the next few months.
LABS So Far
So far in LABS, we’ve launched two new game modes: Nitro and Legacy. Nitro has, of course, been around for a little longer, but even with that in mind, there’s a large difference in how often each mode is being played, especially when looking at the proportion of games played compared to other available modes.
In this graph we can see Legacy, the green line, has dropped off at a much sharper rate than any of our previous modes. Simply put, players dove head first into the game mode, but didn’t necessarily enjoy it enough to play more often as time went on. Nitro in orange on the other hand has remained very strong, consistently seeing players replay the mode. We’ve also included Brawl because, like Legacy, we also see that players who tried the game mode slowly dropped off of it, with the slope continuing on a downward trend much lower than we see here.
What Have We Learned From Legacy?
Legacy gave us a great chance to experiment with the look and feel of a more traditional MOBA map, and we’ve taken some valuable lessons from it that we’ll be looking to carry forward into the future.
One of the biggest standouts was the sheer verticality Agora brought to the table - having more elevation changes across the map made traversal and positioning feel significantly more dynamic. The larger overall playspace also allowed for more varied teamfights and rotations, which we’ll be exploring further in future map designs.
On the visual side, Legacy helped reinforce just how much of a difference atmosphere and scenery can make. The lighting, foliage, and general mood of the map created a far more vibrant and immersive experience, and that’s something we’re keen to carry forward too.
Above all else though we’ve learned from v1.7 that with our current player pool, running four different game queues at once has spread things a little too thin. It’s put extra pressure on matchmaking times and has impacted player experience across the board. So for the rest of the year, we’ll be limiting LABS to just one mode at a time.
With all of this said (and taking the popularity levels of the two modes into consideration), we’ve made the decision to retire the Legacy game mode in v1.7.3, on August 12th.
What about Nitro?
As discussed already, Nitro is still going strong - clearly resonating with a lot of players, but there’s so much more we want to do to get the gameplay rhythm we’re looking for. Right now, the average and the maximum game times are still too close to Standard, which isn’t the goal for the game mode.
In the graph above you can see that we’ve been able to bring down the average game time in Nitro with some careful adjustments over the past few months, but there’s still a long way to go until we hit our target of 15 minute average game times.
To help deliver on this mission we’re planning some further tweaks to the mode in v1.8, before we take it offline completely in v1.9 to make some larger scale changes.
We expect to return with a new and improved Nitro mode to LABS in our v1.10 update, currently slated to release in late November.
What about v1.9?
Looking ahead to v1.9, the current plan is to introduce a brand new game mode to LABS - something a little different from what we’ve done before.
We’re hoping to release an early version and our own interpretation of the highly requested ARAM (All Random, All Mid) format, a single-lane, 5v5 mode. It’s fast-paced, chaotic, and built for nonstop action, a true brawler-style mode for those who want a little something different from the MOBA mechanics of Standard or Nitro.
We believe ARAM can fill a similar role to Brawl as a more casual mode, whilst providing a better pathway to playing Nitro, Standard and Ranked.
This new mode is still very much in early development and as with all upcoming features it is subject to change as we continue to test and iterate internally. We’re currently building out the map for the game mode and extensive playtests have begun to make sure we’re happy with everything before release. We’ll have more to share in the coming weeks once we’re confident in the direction it’s heading.
The beauty of our LABS system is the flexibility it offers. If we’re not totally happy with ARAM or don’t think we can deliver it at the standard we’re shooting for in v1.9, we can put it back in the oven to cook for a little longer, keeping Nitro in or cycling to one of the other game modes.
LABS has already taught us a lot, and it's only just getting started. Your feedback and time in these experimental modes continue to shape how we build the future of Predecessor and we’re grateful for your enthusiasm, participation and feedback.
We're excited for what's coming next, and we'll have more to share very soon!
