What's Happening?
League of Legends, a popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game developed by Riot Games, experienced a temporary outage due to the expiration of its digital certificate. This certificate, which
ensures the program's authenticity, was valid from January 7, 2016, until January 4, 2026. As the certificate expired, players worldwide found the game unbootable. Some players discovered a workaround by setting their system clocks back to a date before the expiration, allowing them to access the game. This issue has since been resolved, but it highlights the fragility of digital services reliant on timely certificate renewals. The incident is part of a broader trend, as a Digicert survey revealed that nearly half of the companies surveyed had experienced outages due to expired digital certificates.
Why It's Important?
The temporary unavailability of League of Legends underscores the critical importance of digital certificate management for online services. Such outages can disrupt user experience and potentially lead to financial losses for companies reliant on continuous service availability. For Riot Games, this incident comes at a time when the company is preparing for a significant overhaul of League of Legends, scheduled for release in 2027. The game's seasonal structure and upcoming changes are part of efforts to maintain player engagement. The incident also serves as a reminder for other companies to ensure their digital certificates are up-to-date to avoid similar disruptions.
What's Next?
Riot Games is likely to review its digital certificate management processes to prevent future outages. As the company prepares for the 2027 overhaul of League of Legends, ensuring robust digital infrastructure will be crucial. The gaming community can expect more information about the upcoming changes in the game in the coming months. Additionally, other companies may take this incident as a cautionary tale, prompting them to audit their own digital certificate practices to safeguard against potential service disruptions.
