Group Buy by Elias Bacarro

From Steam Engines to Steam Games

The GroupBuy system, a method of purchasing items together as a group for a discount or added perk, has existed for as long as people have been doing business, as method for store-owners to not only sell a massive amount of their products but to simultaneously use their newfound giant salebase to expand marketing and brand awareness. This was done historically, when foods would spoil and store-owners would rather take a hit in profits if it meant guaranteeing sales. Products were useless and had to be discarded if left unsold. If customers don't buy from us, customers can just go elsewhere to find replacement goods. So how does GroupBuy fit in with League of Legends if skins don't expire and you can't purchase them anywhere else?

These unique characteristics of the League fo Legends Shop also apply largely to Steam's massive e-commerece marketplace. GroupBuy works with Steam, because it helped developers to sell unsold, dying games and actually increased retention and play of those games. Steam has been very sucessful financially with it's sales affecting gamers psychology and causing them to buy games they would not have otherwise. However, a less fulfiling realization for developers is that many of these games sold in isolation go unplayed or unfinished. The act of buying together encoruaged players to actually play games together because they had each other to have fun with. It became less about ownernship and more about actually having fun playing games.

I think skin developers at Riot Games would love to see the same results; to see their works live on the rift and causing enjoyment and promoting that player to player experience isntead of just having an unfulfiling cheque alone associated with its creation. It's a way to get players to get excited about skins again. It's a way to get players excited about playing League of Legends again.

The True League of Legends Experience

League of Legends was desgined with the intention of creating a 5 player team versus team game. Not a game of isolation, between 10 random people. If that's true then why don't skin bundles reflect that? Why am I currently sold a bundle to own the complete set of SSW skins yet I can play 1/5th of SSW skins at a time? Why aren't bundles sold to get groups of players to relive the team instead of individual players experiencing individual pros?

GroupBuy of Skin Bundles encourages players to purchase skins and play with all their friends together on a team. It's that satisfaction and team bonding that League of Legends fosters and GroupBuy Elevates that keeps playeres coming back time after time.