The
First Stand kicked off this Monday with two inter-regional BO3 matches that generated a lot of hype. They allowed Riot Games to introduce the audience to
their new HUD (Heads-Up Display).
This clip from Marc "Caedrel" Lamont, one of the most-watched English co-streamers for
LoL competitions, perfectly sums up the overall reactions. The community has been quite critical of this sudden change, as it not only disrupts familiar visual habits but also makes real-time information harder to grasp.
Overall, the new HUD brings a breath of fresh air visually by modernizing the assets, but it comes at the cost of losing a lot of information. Specifically, it has become harder for viewers to access all the data whenever they want, as some details only appear at certain moments. This includes the experience bars of all ten players, the gold difference by role, and the drake counter, which now rotates with other key stats.
90% negative feedback on a poll with 4,000 voters
Jakob "YamatoCannon" Mebdi also pointed this out, noting that the bottom display bar is overloaded with information. While some of this comes down to our eyes adjusting, it's clear that certain elements need to be refined to optimize the viewer experience. Additionally, the available Twitch add-ons are no longer up to date with the new HUD.
Many other figures in the scene have reacted quite negatively to the new display, criticizing it for being too modern, cluttered, and in need of significant changes to avoid losing the clarity of the previous overlay. Thomas "Zaboutine" Si-Hassen, co-streamer for Team BDS and former LCS coach, even ran a poll on X to gauge general opinion on the new overlay, which received 90% negative feedback from 4,000 voters. While Riot Games introduced this HUD as a test during The First Stand, we can hope it will be adjusted before its rollout in the upcoming regional splits.
Header Photo Credit: Riot Games
