Riot Socrates has hinted that solo queue will not be returning to League of Legends. When season six began earlier this year, a new dynamic queue was introduced, while the long-standing solo queue was removed. The idea was that dynamic queue would encompass all that solo queue was and more by allowing players to queue up with as many as five people at once, instead of the previously allowed two.
Unfortunately, dynamic queue has had a fair number of issues — ranging from elongated queue times, especially in higher ELOs, and unfair matchmaking. For example, solo players have often been the ones getting put into unfair situations where they are forced to play against coordinated groups of people because of the algorithm behind dynamic queue.
Here is an excerpt from the official website announcement that suggests solo queue will not be returning:
“That said, as we continue our work, we’re concerned about the impact solo queue will have on matchmaking as a whole, and we’re assessing how to best proceed. Once we’ve fixed match times and position selection, we’ll have a better update on other queues.”
Afterwards, he goes on to say that:
“We’ll be honest: there’s definitely a world in which solo queue doesn’t return, but we’d rather keep it on the table as we work through these issues before making a final decision.”
Bad news for all you lone wolves out there. Personally, I hope Riot can find a way to make both solo queue and dynamic queue work, because it is not fair to hang people who prefer to play alone out to dry when playing solo currently leaves you with an inherent disadvantage.
