TL;DR
- Riot disabled All Chat due to escalating verbal abuse rates throughout 2021
- The decision follows previous measures targeting AFKing and intentional feeding behaviors
- Players retain emote communication and post-game lobby interactions
- This represents Riot’s most aggressive anti-toxicity measure to date
- The change is not permanent and may be reversed if community behavior improves
Riot Games has implemented their most substantial anti-toxicity initiative in League of Legends history. The development team confirmed that starting with update 11.21, cross-team communication will be eliminated across all competitive matchmaking environments.
Since League of Legends launched, cross-team chat functionality has remained an integral feature. After extensive analysis of behavioral data, Riot determined that negative interactions significantly outweigh positive exchanges in All Chat channels.
The gaming community has consistently identified League of Legends as having problematic player behavior patterns, particularly affecting newcomers and casual participants. Regular players frequently encounter harassment from opposing teams regardless of match outcome, receive last-minute taunts during victory/defeat screens, or experience various forms of toxic communication.
Why is Riot disabling All Chat in League of Legends?
Riot provided a concise justification for implementing the All Chat restriction. Hostile communication incidents have shown consistent growth throughout the current year based on internal metrics. The studio previously introduced systems to combat intentional disconnections and deliberate performance sabotage, making this latest measure a logical progression in their comprehensive behavior management strategy.
Although direct text communication between teams will cease, several interaction methods persist. Opposing players can still view your expressive animations, character laughter, taunt sequences, and various other visual communications unless they’ve specifically disabled these features. End-of-match screens maintain cross-team functionality, preserving opportunities to acknowledge impressive plays like an enemy Lee Sin’s skillful Insec maneuver.
This policy adjustment presents both advantages and disadvantages. Memorable League of Legends interactions often include opponents acknowledging skillful plays with “well played” messages after solo eliminations, or genuine “good game” expressions. Conversely, the widespread player experience of encountering abusive rants from enemy participants negatively impacts the game’s overall reputation. Multiple compelling factors clearly support the All Chat deactivation decision.
This action will undoubtedly create polarization within the player base, as removing cross-team communication represents an absolute solution. Instead of addressing specific instances of verbal harassment individually, Riot eliminates the possibility of inter-team conflicts entirely. The developers emphasize this isn’t a permanent modification, providing League of Legends enthusiasts an opportunity to enhance the in-game social environment.
The modification reaches official servers with patch 11.21 deployment.
Action Checklist
- Utilize preserved emote system for positive interactions with opponents
- Provide constructive feedback in post-game lobbies for notable plays
- Maximize team chat coordination for improved gameplay experience
- Report persistent toxic behavior through proper channels to help community improvement
No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » All Chat disabled in all matchmade queues starting patch 11.21 Understanding Riot's strategic decision to disable All Chat and its impact on League of Legends community health