Confirmation After Leaks and Datamines

Riot's confirmation came after a weeks-long leak chain. Riot had accidentally uploaded a significant chunk of Classic-related code and assets to the Public Beta Environment (PBE), which dataminers quickly discovered . Riot chose to "embrace the meme" and confirm rather than deny . The official acknowledgment arrived on June 26, following earlier stream leaks by Doinb and Uzi around June 4–5 that first put the project on the public radar .

What Dataminers Uncovered on the PBE

Dataminers found hundreds of files on the PBE linked to the Classic project, including champion icons and full mode assets . Based on community analysis of the datamined content, the mode is widely believed to be Season 3-style gameplay with old champion kits, old items, old systems, and the original map layout . A list of pre-rework champions expected to be featured was also reportedly uncovered . Dataminers noted the mode appears built to let players select from various past seasons rather than locking them into a single version .

What Doinb and Uzi Said on Stream

Around June 4–5, 2026, former LPL pros and world champions Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang and Jian "Uzi" Zihao independently discussed the project during casual livestreams . Key details from their streams:

• Doinb said a "Classic server" was dropping "next month" (presumably July 2026) .
• After speaking, Doinb caught himself and said: "Oh, I'm not supposed to say that yet" — suggesting it was an accidental leak .
• Uzi also referenced the project during his own stream, corroborating the development timeline .
• Neither gave specifics on which season or patch version would be replicated .

How Riot's Stance on Legacy Servers Changed Since 2017

Riot has historically been aggressively opposed to legacy servers. In 2021, Riot issued a cease-and-desist letter to the fan project Chronoshift, a private legacy server running a 10-year-old version of League of Legends . Riot's legal team enforced its IP rights and denied the project's developers any ability to launch. For years, the company maintained that it would not create official classic servers itself, arguing that splitting the player base and the complexity of maintaining old code made such a project infeasible.

The June 2026 announcement represents a total reversal of that position. Rather than shutting down fan efforts or ignoring demand, Riot is now building an officially supported Classic mode internally, something the company had consistently ruled out for nearly a decade.

Relation to the "League Next" Overhaul Planned for 2027

The search results contain no evidence of a specific "League Next" overhaul planned for 2027. This may refer either to an unannounced internal roadmap item that has not been publicly reported, to community speculation, or to a project under a different name. No reliable source found in this search links League of Legends Classic to any "League Next" initiative. Based on available evidence, no confirmed connection exists between the Classic announcement and a 2027 overhaul.

What Remains Unclear About the Season/Patch

Multiple critical details have not yet been confirmed:

• Which specific season or patch the Classic version will replicate. Most dataminers point to Season 3 as the most likely base, but Riot has not confirmed this .
• Whether Riot intends to rotate through multiple past seasons over time — the teaser hints that players might be able to choose from various seasons, but this has not been formally detailed .
• Whether the mode will launch with one fixed patch state or will evolve through seasonal releases.
• Whether champion and item balance will be true to the original patch or include modern bug fixes and quality-of-life adjustments.

Riot has said it will answer these questions at the full reveal on July 11–12, 2026 during the MSI Finals .

Confirmation After Leaks and Datamines

Riot's confirmation came after a weeks-long leak chain. Riot had accidentally uploaded a significant chunk of Classic-related code and assets to the Public Beta Environment (PBE), which dataminers quickly discovered . Riot chose to "embrace the meme" and confirm rather than deny . The official acknowledgment arrived on June 26, following earlier stream leaks by Doinb and Uzi around June 4–5 that first put the project on the public radar .

What Dataminers Uncovered on the PBE

Dataminers found hundreds of files on the PBE linked to the Classic project, including champion icons and full mode assets . Based on community analysis of the datamined content, the mode is widely believed to be Season 3-style gameplay with old champion kits, old items, old systems, and the original map layout . A list of pre-rework champions expected to be featured was also reportedly uncovered . Dataminers noted the mode appears built to let players select from various past seasons rather than locking them into a single version .

What Doinb and Uzi Said on Stream

Around June 4–5, 2026, former LPL pros and world champions Kim "Doinb" Tae-sang and Jian "Uzi" Zihao independently discussed the project during casual livestreams . Key details from their streams:

• Doinb said a "Classic server" was dropping "next month" (presumably July 2026) .
• After speaking, Doinb caught himself and said: "Oh, I'm not supposed to say that yet" — suggesting it was an accidental leak .
• Uzi also referenced the project during his own stream, corroborating the development timeline .
• Neither gave specifics on which season or patch version would be replicated .

How Riot's Stance on Legacy Servers Changed Since 2017

Riot has historically been aggressively opposed to legacy servers. In 2021, Riot issued a cease-and-desist letter to the fan project Chronoshift, a private legacy server running a 10-year-old version of League of Legends . Riot's legal team enforced its IP rights and denied the project's developers any ability to launch. For years, the company maintained that it would not create official classic servers itself, arguing that splitting the player base and the complexity of maintaining old code made such a project infeasible.

The June 2026 announcement represents a total reversal of that position. Rather than shutting down fan efforts or ignoring demand, Riot is now building an officially supported Classic mode internally, something the company had consistently ruled out for nearly a decade.

Relation to the "League Next" Overhaul Planned for 2027

The search results contain no evidence of a specific "League Next" overhaul planned for 2027. This may refer either to an unannounced internal roadmap item that has not been publicly reported, to community speculation, or to a project under a different name. No reliable source found in this search links League of Legends Classic to any "League Next" initiative. Based on available evidence, no confirmed connection exists between the Classic announcement and a 2027 overhaul.

What Remains Unclear About the Season/Patch

Multiple critical details have not yet been confirmed:

• Which specific season or patch the Classic version will replicate. Most dataminers point to Season 3 as the most likely base, but Riot has not confirmed this .
• Whether Riot intends to rotate through multiple past seasons over time — the teaser hints that players might be able to choose from various seasons, but this has not been formally detailed .
• Whether the mode will launch with one fixed patch state or will evolve through seasonal releases.
• Whether champion and item balance will be true to the original patch or include modern bug fixes and quality-of-life adjustments.

Riot has said it will answer these questions at the full reveal on July 11–12, 2026 during the MSI Finals .