User blog comment:Reilock/Retiring Dominion: Thoughts/@comment-26815373-20160215214859

Odaswifteye & Ilicstefan make some good points about the problems with Dominion. That being said, I don't think Dominion is gone for good. I'm calling it now that we'll see a 'spiritual successor' to Dominion. Why? Because...

As far as MOBAs go, the maps are just as important as the heroes / champions. Riot clearly isn't afraid of playing with the map format. We have ARAM, three-lane 5v5 and two-lane 3v3. There is clearly more space for exploration as far as maps are concerned. Personally, I really like the idea of a 'single circular lane' with a large jungle area in the middle. I do think Riot should turn the center area into a real jungle (a la Summoner's Rift), complete with a 'boss' monster in the middle and more objectives sprinkeled around therein.

As to why Dominion failed... Oda & Stefan touched on it. The map wasn't very exciting or balanced, minions were just kinda there, and the 'objectives' weren't very satisfying. Also, and this might be more important, it doesn't look nearly as pretty as the others. It was clearly outdated. Also, considere that, before SR visual updated, Dominion was still relatively popular. It certainly didn't have bot plaguing it like it does now. I get the feeling that Riot neglecting Dominion while working on other things led to Dominions player count dropping, which then led to Riot neglecting it further. A negative feedback loop occured and that's where we are today.

Still, I have to approve of Riot removing Dominion. Leaving it in a torpid state would've been worse, IMO.

Relevant flavor text.