Riot pulls off a rare positive PR move and adds the Make-A-Wish winner to the League of Legends canon

Riot Games has expanded references to Joe – a player introduced to the company by the Make-a-Wish Foundation in 2012 – in League of Legends. This is part of a Jax update available in the public beta environment where players have discovered references to Joe in the character’s lore.

Originally, the Jaximus skin was a homage to Joe with the line “Here’s to you kid” who, when equipped, would play through a game of League of Legends. In the future, all skins will contain this line. Additionally, the following information has been included in the Jaximus biography.

“In a fighter’s coliseum, Jax’s victories were celebrated by a small child and loyal fan, Joe. Jax discovered that Joe was an incredible warrior in his own right, far braver than anyone Jax had met. Joe gave Jax the nickname “Jaximus,” a title he warmly embraced.

“Here’s to you, boy,” Jax declared as he charged into battle, holding up the lamplight in Joe’s honor.”

This is a nice move from the team behind Jax’s visual update and a nice change from the usual news we get here from Riot Games. Just two years ago, Riot settled a gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million. The developer is being supported by Microsoft and various other major tech companies in laying off staff during the recession we find ourselves in, not to mention the recent controversy surrounding Teamfight Tactics’ player-unfriendly monetization.

These are just a few of the major controversies that have plagued the company in recent years. This expansion is a decade-long, heartwarming move by the company, which desperately needs as many great PR moves as it can get. From a less critical perspective: It’s great to see how the developers behind this update have taken the time to not only maintain the gesture towards a valued MOBA fan, but expand on it.

So, here’s to your Jax Update team and to you, Joe.