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Riot Games' TinyBun addressed the reason behind League of Legends' Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi having two versions of their splash art.
In her post, a fan commented on the splash art of Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi being the "censored version" on the PBE (Public Beta Environment). With Riot Games not informing the community on this, the League of Legends player base was confused about whether this was a bug or intentional.
She responded by saying that the original version of the splash art, which consists of 'hearts,' is indeed intended for most of the major regions and hasn't changed.
Riot Games chose the altered/censored version of the splash graphic to be on the safe side because the PBE (Public Beta Environment) does not have a regional server like the live servers of League of Legends.
She did, however, confirm that the censored splash art for Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi will be utilized if a player is playing on a League of Legends live server where it is indicated that it is required.
Neither Riot TinyBun nor Riot Games have made any remarks on which territories may mandate the use of the censored versions of the Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi splash art.
Riot TinyBun, a producer on skins for League of Legends and previously for Legends of Runeterra, addressed a comment in her post on Reddit. Her post was mainly a patch 13.3 Heartthrob Caitlyn, Heartache Vi, and Heartache Amumu bugs-only thread.
A censored version of the League of Legends Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi splash arts is necessary for Riot Games
China, Russia, and MENA (Middle East, Europe, and North Africa) are believed to be the regions that would require a censored version of the splash art. With Vi and Caitlyn being each other's love interests and the aforementioned regions prohibiting LGBTQ+ rights, it's clear why Riot Games chose to be cautious.
This censorship is intended to protect the players' and employees' safety and well-being and comply with local laws and regulations. By doing so, Riot Games avoids the controversy and backlash that could result from displaying LGBTQ+ themes and symbols in these regions by censoring the splash art.
Riot Games can also avoid legal ramifications from advocating or supporting LGBTQ+ rights in places where they are not recognized.
Furthermore, these regions have a large player base, and if Riot Games does not comply with the laws and regulations of such regions, the game may face a ban from these regions. This eventually implies that League of Legends will lose such a large player base, which is not what the game developers intended.
Overall, Riot Games took the practical choice of censoring the Heartthrob Caitlyn and Heartache Vi splash art for a variety of reasons while also respecting the rules and regimes of other places.
