Closing out another successful year for LoL esports is the All-Star Event. It's a been a chaotic few weeks for players as the upcoming NA LCS franchise has flipped the free-agency period on its head.

The All-Star event usually promises to match that chaos but fans have doubted that after Riot announced that the 'tandem' and other wacky modes would not return this year.

However, Riot Games' Head of Esports Events, Ron Forbes, has promised it will remain a fun-filled event.

The League of Legends All-Star event begins next week and debuts a brand new format

All-Star comes just a month after Worlds and just over a month before the next season begins. Players are either resting on holiday or are playing LoL with the new preseason changes which includes the newly revamped runes system.

Players deserve to have one stress-free month and Forbes promises that's the case: 'The tournament will be played on preseason patch 7.23 with runes reforged and Zoe enabled.'

'Generally, we disable new champions in competitive play for a few weeks so as not to disrupt the integrity of the competition. But given All-Star’s focus on fun and entertainment, Zoe seems like a natural fit in the event. We can’t wait to see our favourite pros showcase the S-tier trickery that’s possible with Zoe.'

Many people, including Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok have been vocal about how powerful Zoe is - the fast paced and explosive character will be deadly in the hands of pro players.

Fans have been critical of the new format for the event but Forbes reveals Riot made the decision with fans in mind: 'Our aspiration for all events is to create memorable, entertaining experiences around League being played at the highest level.

'When we look back at previous years’ All-Star Events, we’ve seen fans respond positively to its fun nature. However, we’ve also seen fans tend to phase out of watching over the course of the event without some sort of narrative through-line.

New champion Zoe will be enabled for the All-Star event despite only being live for two weeks

'We think a format based around regional teams that yields a clear winner will help the entertainment of the event last throughout the entire weekend and culminate in an exciting conclusion.'

The voting turnout for the event actually decreased from last year but was still at 3.8million. Perhaps fans have been become less excited about the tournament and the change was needed.

New unique jerseys for each region will be debuted this year and fans will be able to purchase summoner icons to represent their favourite team. The international rivalry between Europe and North America is usually pretty intense and Misfits overcoming TSM at Worlds will only of added fuel to the fire.

Yet, Forbes insists that enjoyability is the priority for All-Star 2017: 'Our aim actually isn’t to make All-Star more serious. It’s the end of the year, the middle of the offseason, and a time for fans and pros to be taking a collective breather before 2018 kicks off. Instead, we want All-Star to be even more fun and entertaining than it’s ever been, and we hope this new format helps deliver on that goal.

'The offseason is a natural time to speculate about what-if team compositions. All Star is a unique opportunity to scratch that itch by assembling the squads that die-hard fans have been dreaming to see compete on the international stage.'

A laid-back tournament with competitive undertones should make for an entertaining event, especially on the new patch. The popular 1v1 tournament will add an extra bit of flavour as LoL esports tries to end the year with a bang.