Latest news with #WildRift
Express Tribune
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Wild Rift producer responds to backlash over alleged AI anniversary video posted to Weibo
Riot Games has responded to criticism surrounding a controversial anniversary video for League of Legends: Wild Rift, which was uploaded to the game's official Weibo account and widely circulated online due to its apparent use of artificial intelligence and visual inconsistencies. The video, meant to celebrate the mobile game's third anniversary, featured popular characters such as Jinx, Yasuo and Seraphine performing at a fictional concert. However, the visuals quickly drew scrutiny for their low quality, including unusual facial animations, glitchy movement, and awkward design elements, such as the misspelling of 'anniversary' as 'aniversary' and a distorted '3rd' logo. Fans on platforms like Reddit and Twitter pointed to several hallmarks of AI-generated content, including inconsistent object rendering, unnatural character movement, and vague lyrics like 'Can we turn up the blower higher,' which some attributed to mistranslation or generative language models. Wild Rift executive producer David Xu acknowledged the backlash in a post on Weibo. 'Yesterday we posted a creator-made video on our official Weibo channel that, frankly, did not hit the mark,' Xu wrote. 'When we post content on our official channels, it's on us to maintain a high-quality bar and be clear about where it came from. Thank you for all the feedback, we can and will do better.' Xu did not confirm whether the video was AI-generated but indicated it originated from an external creator. Reports suggest the video may have come from a group called Outliers (异类), known for AI-based aesthetic content. Riot has since removed the video from Weibo.
Al Bawaba
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Riot Games sparks backlash over AI League of Legends trailer
ALBAWABA - Riot Games and parent company Tencent recently sparked backlash from fans after publishing an AI-generated "League of Legends: Wild Rift" trailer, prompting a statement from Executive Producer David Xu. Wild Rift is a free-to-play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) developed and published by Riot Games for smartphones. However, this should not be confused with the PC version of League of Legends. To celebrate the game's third anniversary, Wild Rift China shared the AI-generated trailer featuring popular characters from the renowned franchise, including Aurora, Jinx, Seraphin, Ezreal, and Yasuo. First allegedly shared on China's Weibo, the trailer flooded several other social media platforms with users criticizing Riot Games and Tencent for using AI to create it, as they compared it to other beloved animated League of Legends trailers and Netflix's masterpiece, Arcane. Wild Rift China released a cinematic made using AI and it is diabolical 😭 To think this was an official release that several people approved of 🙄 It features Seraphine, Jinx, Aurora, Yasuo & Ezreal. — Aroush (@AroushTheKween) August 4, 2025 Due to the backlash it received, Riot representatives were forced to take the trailer down. However, this didn't stop fans from sharing it on Western social media platforms such as X (formerly known as Twitter). Why the backlash? Gamers have raised concerns about the use of AI in video games due to the lack of its human touch and the possible layoffs of hardworking employees. Second, the trailer's art style was inconsistent, and the characters featured had off-putting facial expressions. Moreover, random characters featured in the trailer looked like they were heavily generated using Pixar films as a reference. Several other fans also accused Riot of reportedly using AI for the song featured in the trailer due to its "mediocre and soulless lyrics." Executive producer David Xu took to X and wrote, "Hey folks, yesterday we posted a creator-made video on our official Weibo channel that, frankly, did not hit the mark. When we post content on our official channels, it's on us to maintain a high quality bar and be clear about where it came from. Thank you for all the feedback, we can and will do better." One fan wrote in response, "creator made infers they made it and not a machine btw." Another added, "I don't think 'hit the mark' is the best choice of words tbh. It's clearly ai and the fact that it was ok'd and posted shows there's a lack of care somewhere." First of all, Seraphine is a mess 😭 Girl what happened to your voice? But in all honestly, it is so disappointing how Riot allowed this. This is a slap in the face for every artist who has worked to bring the world of Runterra to life through their art for the past 15 years! 😢 — Aroush (@AroushTheKween) August 4, 2025
Scottish Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Five free games for iPhone, Android and iPad you'll actually play for hours – you won't touch your PS5 or Xbox for weeks
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE'S no end of games for your phones and tablets – but plenty of them are a bit rubbish. I'm The Sun's tech editor and I've spent hundreds of hours tapping and swiping my way through mobiles games to find the best free gems that you'll actually want to play. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 16 Wild Rift is a mobile version of League of Legends Credit: Riot Games 16 The game has an all-star cast of characters – and you may recognise some of them from hit Netflix animated series Arcane Credit: Riot Games 16 You'll battle for control of a map in a bid to destroy the opposing team's Nexus Credit: Riot Games In fact, I'm convinced this lot of titles is so good that you'll even snub your PS5 or Xbox – at least for the moment. Better still, all five of them are available on iPhone, Android, and iPad, so there's something for everyone. These games are truly brilliant, with hours of replayability, immense depth, and no upfront fees to play. Best mobile game #1 – Wild Rift First on my list is Wild Rift, which is a mobile version of PC gaming mega-hit League of Legends. It's a fantasy MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) where two teams face off with the aim of dominating a battleground. There are dozens of magical and mystical characters to play, each with different abilities. And though it's easy to pick up, it could you take years to truly master. As you progress through the game, you'll find yourself battling more skilled players, so you'll never be short of a challenge. And Riot Games' Wild Rift is constantly being updated with new characters, modes, and mini-games, so there's always something to do. Best mobile game #2 – Polytopia Polytopia is a fiendishly replayable "4X" game – that stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. Watch trailer for Old-School RuneScape's Varlamore expansion 16 Polytopia is a colourful and thrilling strategy game Credit: Midjiwan AB You're set loose upon a map occupied by opposing tribes, and it's your goal to build a civilisation, conquer your enemies, and dominate the world. All through your phone screen. The game is turn-based and involves a decent amount of strategy, and is easily paused for you to come back later. It also works offline, so this is a great option for flights. It feels far easier to pick up than the hit Civilisation game series – and is bright, colourful, and suits shorter gameplay sessions. You can ramp up the difficulty of the AI, the number of enemies, and size of the map for extended games – or trim it all back for a quick session. 16 You invest points in a talent tree to customise your gameplay style Credit: Midjiwan AB 16 You're tasked with dominating and destroying opposing tribes Credit: Midjiwan AB And because there are so many different tribes with different perks, you can come at the game from lots of different play-styles. Best mobile game #3 – Kingdom Rush Kingdom Rush is an entire series of games that kicked off back in 2011. They're not all free, but the first one is – and it's a cracker. Kingdom Rush is a tower defence game set in a medieval fantasy realm where you control wizards, archers, and knights to fend off baddies. 16 Kingdom Rush is one of the best tower defence games for mobile devices Credit: Ironhide Game Studio 16 You'll upgrade your defences to stop a horde of baddies Credit: Ironhide Game Studio Your reinforcements and power-ups get more sophisticated as you progress through increasingly difficult levels. And the thrill of creating a truly epic defence is like no other. The Kingdom Rush games are fun and don't take themselves too seriously. They're also easy to pick up, with relatively short levels that can easily be enjoyed on a commute or during a lunch break. And you'll probably find yourself wanting to pay for the sequels. I certainly did. 16 Waves of baddies become stronger as the game progresses – but your ability to defend yourself improves too Credit: Ironhide Game Studio MOBILE GAMING – THE GAME HAS CHANGED Here's a quick take from The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach... Back in the day, most mobile games were cheap and cheerful – but no match for console titles. Soon game makers clocked on to the fact that pretty much everyone has a smartphone and/or tablet. And very few people have consoles by comparison. So developers have poured huge amounts of money into making mobile games, resulting in plenty of brilliant console-rivalling titles. Pair that with the fact that the latest phones and tablets have very impressive computing power, pixel-dense displays, and access to fast internet, and you'll soon find you've basically got a console in your pocket. You can also upgrade your phone or tablet by connecting a Bluetooth controller (like the PlayStation's DualSense joypad) for more console-like gaming. And you could also enjoy actual console games by using a game streaming service like Xbox Cloud Gaming. You'll save money on a console, and get even more value out of the mobile you're already paying for. Mobile gaming is a no-brainer! Picture Credit: Sean Keach Best mobile game #4 – Old School RuneScape RuneScape is such a global hit that it almost needs no introduction. This is the relaunched 2013 "old school" version of the hit massively-multiplayer online role-playing game based on its 2007 version. Created by British studio Jagex, RuneScape drops you into a vast fantasy world filled with brilliant quests, fearsome bosses, and endless areas to explore. This is the sort of game you lose days, not hours, to. 16 Old School RuneScape is one of the biggest games on mobile, and can easily provide hundreds of hours of gameplay Credit: Jagex 16 The whimsical medieval MMORPG gives players plenty of freedom in terms of gameplay style Credit: Jagex It's one of the greatest games ever created and remains wildly popular to this day – so it's a miracle that you can enjoy it on a smartphone. The game receives regular updates with new content, and has a large online community to play with, so every game session feels different. RuneScape's very large base game is free, but you can upgrade it with a monthly membership to unlock an absolutely enormous selection of new zones, quests, and more if you prefer. My only warning: this game is so good, you might find it difficult to put down. 16 There's also a PVP element if you're interested in taking on other players Credit: Jagex Best mobile game #5 – Hearthstone Created by World of Warcraft titans Activision Blizzard, Hearthstone is a beautiful and brilliant online card game. You collect virtual trading cards to build decks that you can then use to battle against the computer or other players. And all of the cards are themed around the Warcraft universe, featuring iconic characters and spells from the smash-hit fantasy game. Hearthstone is very simple to pick up but progresses to very high-level strategy if that's your interest. 16 Hearthstone is a trading card game in virtual form Credit: Activision Blizzard 16 You'll use the cards that you collect to battle against the computer or even other players Credit: Activision Blizzard And you can play on your own, against a pal, or even versus total strangers. Blizzard is constantly releasing new cards and decks for Hearthstone, so it never gets stale. And you don't need to spend a penny on it if you don't want. This is one of the slickest card games out there, and works just as well on a small phone screen as it does on a giant iPad. 16 New cards and decks are constantly being added to the game Credit: Activision Blizzard
The Irish Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Five free games for iPhone, Android and iPad you'll actually play for hours – you won't touch your PS5 or Xbox for weeks
THERE'S no end of games for your phones and tablets – but plenty of them are a bit rubbish. I'm The Sun's tech editor and I've spent hundreds of hours tapping and swiping my way through mobiles games to find the best free gems that you'll actually want to play. Advertisement 16 Wild Rift is a mobile version of League of Legends Credit: Riot Games 16 The game has an all-star cast of characters – and you may recognise some of them from hit Netflix animated series Arcane Credit: Riot Games 16 You'll battle for control of a map in a bid to destroy the opposing team's Nexus Credit: Riot Games In fact, I'm convinced this lot of titles is so good that you'll even snub your PS5 or Xbox – at least for the moment. Better still, all five of them are available on These games are truly brilliant, with hours of replayability, immense depth, and no upfront fees to play. Best mobile game #1 – Wild Rift First on my list is Wild Rift, which is a mobile version of PC gaming mega-hit League of Legends. Advertisement Read more on gaming freebies It's a fantasy MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) where two teams face off with the aim of dominating a battleground. There are dozens of magical and mystical characters to play, each with different abilities. And though it's easy to pick up, it could you take years to truly master. As you progress through the game, you'll find yourself battling more skilled players, so you'll never be short of a challenge. Advertisement Most read in Gaming And Riot Games' Wild Rift is constantly being updated with new characters, modes, and mini-games, so there's always something to do. Best mobile game #2 – Polytopia Polytopia is a fiendishly replayable "4X" game – that stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. Watch trailer for Old-School RuneScape's Varlamore expansion 16 Polytopia is a colourful and thrilling strategy game Credit: Midjiwan AB You're set loose upon a map occupied by opposing tribes, and it's your goal to build a civilisation, conquer your enemies, and dominate the world. All through your phone screen. Advertisement The game is turn-based and involves a decent amount of strategy, and is easily paused for you to come back later. It also works offline, so this is a great option for flights. It feels far easier to pick up than the hit Civilisation game series – and is bright, colourful, and suits shorter gameplay sessions. You can ramp up the difficulty of the AI, the number of enemies, and size of the map for extended games – or trim it all back for a quick session. 16 You invest points in a talent tree to customise your gameplay style Credit: Midjiwan AB Advertisement 16 You're tasked with dominating and destroying opposing tribes Credit: Midjiwan AB And because there are so many different tribes with different perks, you can come at the game from lots of different play-styles. Best mobile game #3 – Kingdom Rush Kingdom Rush is an entire series of games that kicked off back in 2011. They're not all free, but the first one is – and it's a cracker. Advertisement Kingdom Rush is a tower defence game set in a medieval fantasy realm where you control wizards, archers, and knights to fend off baddies. 16 Kingdom Rush is one of the best tower defence games for mobile devices Credit: Ironhide Game Studio 16 You'll upgrade your defences to stop a horde of baddies Credit: Ironhide Game Studio Your reinforcements and power-ups get more sophisticated as you progress through increasingly difficult levels. Advertisement And the thrill of creating a truly epic defence is like no other. The Kingdom Rush games are fun and don't take themselves too seriously. They're also easy to pick up, with relatively short levels that can easily be enjoyed on a commute or during a lunch break. And you'll probably find yourself wanting to pay for the sequels. I certainly did. 16 Waves of baddies become stronger as the game progresses – but your ability to defend yourself improves too Credit: Ironhide Game Studio Advertisement MOBILE GAMING – THE GAME HAS CHANGED Here's a quick take from The Sun's tech editor Back in the day, most mobile games were cheap and cheerful – but no match for console titles. Soon game makers clocked on to the fact that pretty much everyone has a smartphone and/or tablet. And very few people have consoles by comparison. So developers have poured huge amounts of money into making mobile games, resulting in plenty of brilliant console-rivalling titles. Pair that with the fact that the latest phones and tablets have very impressive computing power, pixel-dense displays, and access to fast internet, and you'll soon find you've basically got a console in your pocket. You can also upgrade your phone or tablet by connecting a Bluetooth controller (like the PlayStation's DualSense joypad) for more console-like gaming. And you could also enjoy actual console games by using a game streaming service like Xbox Cloud Gaming. You'll save money on a console, and get even more value out of the mobile you're already paying for. Mobile gaming is a no-brainer! Picture Credit: Sean Keach Best mobile game #4 – Old School RuneScape RuneScape is such a global hit that it almost needs no introduction. This is the relaunched 2013 "old school" version of the hit massively-multiplayer online role-playing game based on its 2007 version. Created by British studio Jagex, RuneScape drops you into a vast fantasy world filled with brilliant quests, fearsome bosses, and endless areas to explore. This is the sort of game you lose days, not hours, to. Advertisement 16 Old School RuneScape is one of the biggest games on mobile, and can easily provide hundreds of hours of gameplay Credit: Jagex 16 The whimsical medieval MMORPG gives players plenty of freedom in terms of gameplay style Credit: Jagex It's one of the greatest games ever created and remains wildly popular to this day – so it's a miracle that you can enjoy it on a smartphone. The game receives regular updates with new content, and has a large online community to play with, so every game session feels different. Advertisement RuneScape's very large base game is free, but you can upgrade it with a monthly membership to unlock an absolutely enormous selection of new zones, quests, and more if you prefer. My only warning: this game is so good, you might find it difficult to put down. 16 There's also a PVP element if you're interested in taking on other players Credit: Jagex Best mobile game #5 – Hearthstone Created by World of Warcraft titans Activision Blizzard, Hearthstone is a beautiful and brilliant online card game. Advertisement You collect virtual trading cards to build decks that you can then use to battle against the computer or other players. And all of the cards are themed around the Warcraft universe, featuring iconic characters and spells from the smash-hit fantasy game. Hearthstone is very simple to pick up but progresses to very high-level strategy if that's your interest. 16 Hearthstone is a trading card game in virtual form Credit: Activision Blizzard Advertisement 16 You'll use the cards that you collect to battle against the computer or even other players Credit: Activision Blizzard And you can play on your own, against a pal, or even versus total strangers. Blizzard is constantly releasing new cards and decks for Hearthstone, so it never gets stale. And you don't need to spend a penny on it if you don't want. Advertisement This is one of the slickest card games out there, and works just as well on a small phone screen as it does on a giant iPad. 16 New cards and decks are constantly being added to the game Credit: Activision Blizzard 16 League of Legends: Wild Rift won an Apple Design Award back in 2021 Credit: Apple / Riot Games
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Five free games for iPhone, Android and iPad you'll actually play for hours – you won't touch your PS5 or Xbox for weeks
THERE'S no end of games for your phones and tablets – but plenty of them are a bit rubbish. I'm The Sun's tech editor and I've spent hundreds of hours tapping and swiping my way through mobiles games to find the best free gems that you'll actually want to play. 16 16 16 In fact, I'm convinced this lot of titles is so good that you'll even snub your PS5 or Xbox – at least for the moment. Better still, all five of them are available on iPhone, Android, and iPad, so there's something for everyone. These games are truly brilliant, with hours of replayability, immense depth, and no upfront fees to play. Best mobile game #1 – Wild Rift First on my list is Wild Rift, which is a mobile version of PC gaming mega-hit League of Legends. It's a fantasy MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) where two teams face off with the aim of dominating a battleground. There are dozens of magical and mystical characters to play, each with different abilities. And though it's easy to pick up, it could you take years to truly master. As you progress through the game, you'll find yourself battling more skilled players, so you'll never be short of a challenge. And Riot Games' Wild Rift is constantly being updated with new characters, modes, and mini-games, so there's always something to do. Best mobile game #2 – Polytopia Polytopia is a fiendishly replayable "4X" game – that stands for Explore, Expand, Exploit, and Exterminate. Watch trailer for Old-School RuneScape's Varlamore expansion 16 You're set loose upon a map occupied by opposing tribes, and it's your goal to build a civilisation, conquer your enemies, and dominate the world. All through your phone screen. The game is turn-based and involves a decent amount of strategy, and is easily paused for you to come back later. It also works offline, so this is a great option for flights. It feels far easier to pick up than the hit Civilisation game series – and is bright, colourful, and suits shorter gameplay sessions. You can ramp up the difficulty of the AI, the number of enemies, and size of the map for extended games – or trim it all back for a quick session. 16 16 And because there are so many different tribes with different perks, you can come at the game from lots of different play-styles. Best mobile game #3 – Kingdom Rush Kingdom Rush is an entire series of games that kicked off back in 2011. They're not all free, but the first one is – and it's a cracker. Kingdom Rush is a tower defence game set in a medieval fantasy realm where you control wizards, archers, and knights to fend off baddies. 16 16 Your reinforcements and power-ups get more sophisticated as you progress through increasingly difficult levels. And the thrill of creating a truly epic defence is like no other. The Kingdom Rush games are fun and don't take themselves too seriously. They're also easy to pick up, with relatively short levels that can easily be enjoyed on a commute or during a lunch break. And you'll probably find yourself wanting to pay for the sequels. I certainly did. 16 MOBILE GAMING – THE GAME HAS CHANGED Here's a quick take from The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach... Back in the day, most mobile games were cheap and cheerful – but no match for console titles. Soon game makers clocked on to the fact that pretty much everyone has a smartphone and/or tablet. And very few people have consoles by comparison. So developers have poured huge amounts of money into making mobile games, resulting in plenty of brilliant console-rivalling titles. Pair that with the fact that the latest phones and tablets have very impressive computing power, pixel-dense displays, and access to fast internet, and you'll soon find you've basically got a console in your pocket. You can also upgrade your phone or tablet by connecting a Bluetooth controller (like the PlayStation's DualSense joypad) for more console-like gaming. And you could also enjoy actual console games by using a game streaming service like Xbox Cloud Gaming. You'll save money on a console, and get even more value out of the mobile you're already paying for. Mobile gaming is a no-brainer! Picture Credit: Sean Keach Best mobile game #4 – Old School RuneScape RuneScape is such a global hit that it almost needs no introduction. This is the relaunched 2013 "old school" version of the hit massively-multiplayer online role-playing game based on its 2007 version. Created by British studio Jagex, RuneScape drops you into a vast fantasy world filled with brilliant quests, fearsome bosses, and endless areas to explore. This is the sort of game you lose days, not hours, to. 16 16 It's one of the greatest games ever created and remains wildly popular to this day – so it's a miracle that you can enjoy it on a smartphone. The game receives regular updates with new content, and has a large online community to play with, so every game session feels different. RuneScape's very large base game is free, but you can upgrade it with a monthly membership to unlock an absolutely enormous selection of new zones, quests, and more if you prefer. My only warning: this game is so good, you might find it difficult to put down. 16 Best mobile game #5 – Hearthstone Created by World of Warcraft titans Activision Blizzard, Hearthstone is a beautiful and brilliant online card game. You collect virtual trading cards to build decks that you can then use to battle against the computer or other players. And all of the cards are themed around the Warcraft universe, featuring iconic characters and spells from the smash-hit fantasy game. Hearthstone is very simple to pick up but progresses to very high-level strategy if that's your interest. 16 16 And you can play on your own, against a pal, or even versus total strangers. Blizzard is constantly releasing new cards and decks for Hearthstone, so it never gets stale. And you don't need to spend a penny on it if you don't want. This is one of the slickest card games out there, and works just as well on a small phone screen as it does on a giant iPad. 16
