LoL has released it's newest PBE, and it looks like many champ icons are getting reworked. And some of them might even hint at Arcane.
Fans of Arcane, gather round; we have some theories that can be found!
LoL's newest PBE was released on August 16, and it has started some new theories regarding Arcane. Stick around to find out more!
Hints To Arcane Found In New PBE
The new icons might be first hint at Riot welcoming Arcane as canon by u/_Gesterr in leagueoflegends
With the new PBE being released, some sharp eyes have already noticed that many, many icons are getting a nice little rework. And while most seem similar to their usual look, a few part-time detectives have noticed some very interesting changes.
Jayce Icon Change
As you can see, Jayce's new icon has an interesting new detail, that definitely wasn't there before – the scar on his cheek.
Now while that may not seem so crazy at first, if you look at the image of Jayce's character in Arcane, you'll see almost that exact same scar.
Jayce's icon never had anything like this, so why add it now?
Well, this is where the fun starts.
Ekko Icon Change
Just like Jayce, Ekko is also sporting some new dashing changes to his icon. In this case, it's his hairstyle. His usual Mohawk is nowhere to be found.
Now, you may be inclined to think that this hairstyle change could be to match his icon to Ekko's character model in Project L, but seeing as Jayce also got some Arcane-esque reworks, I'd beg to differ.
If you want to see all the icon changes for yourself, SkinSpotlights uploaded them all on Twitter.
But, what does this really mean?
Arcane Season 2 Theories
Well, while these icon changes don't directly hint to any Arcane news, it does show that character stories from Arcane could become canon in LoL (and not just "canon" in the sense of the alternative universes like Battle Academy or the many others).
This brings up many questions, like the most simple one: why?
I mean, why add these changes now? Arcane came out in November 2021 and it was a success! So much so, that the creators almost immediately confirmed that they would begin the production of season 2.
Speaking of Arcane season 2, check out the link to see everything you need to know about it
Well, that's the thing we don't know yet. But these subtle changes that hint at Arcane could mean many things.
Some theorize that this is a sign, that there will be a big announcement at the LoL Worlds in October later this year. Not that we expect a set release date necessarily, but maybe in what year and what half of it we could expect Arcane season 2.
Or maybe this means that characters could be getting base reworks in order to look more like their Arcane counterparts, to celebrate the success of the series' first season. Maybe some champs background stories will be updated to match their Arcane likenesses. Who knows?
Everything is still all up in the air, but we'll sure keep our eyes open for more news!