At the 2025 Video Game Awards, Caitlyn was revealed to be the first new champion of 2026 during a 2XKO segment.
Without any gameplay footage and with Caitlyn likely being a zoner, fans were disappointed, as they were hoping for the likes of Riven, Lee Sin, and other favorites.
Another reason for the backlash is that while League has over 170 champions to pull from across many regions from the world of Runeterra, four champions are already from Arcane (
Ekko, 
Jinx, 
Vi, 
Warwick).
In addition to being from Arcane, Caitlyn is perceived as being vanilla in comparison to what Jayce, Viktor, Mel, Ambessa, Singed, LeBlanc, Orianna, and Heimerdinger could offer.
There was enough of a sour response that the official 2XKO account on X replied that there won't be any more Arcane-related champions for a while after Caitlyn:
Our Thoughts On Her Moveset
If you're unfamiliar with her LoL kit, Caitlyn is a long-ranged sniper that has a penetrating shot, a Yordle snap trap (essentially a bear trap), a heavy net, and an ultimate that locks onto an enemy and fires a blockable shot.
From the outside in, you may immediately think that she will overlap with Jinx and 
Teemo, who aren't the most fun to play against due to their playstyles.
However, if we follow the implied Arcane emphasis, the possibilities are expanded. If you haven't seen Season 2, there are some slight spoilers ahead.
In the show, Caitlyn has an arc where she learns close-quarter combat techniques from Ambessa, using a staff weapon.
It's possible that in her 2XKO form, Caitlyn will use similar moves but while wielding her rifle instead.
Overall, it could be copium, but we'll hold off full judgment until we see some actual gameplay.
Plus, we should bear in mind that Teemo's release ended up having Warwick as a surprise duo release, so that may be possible again!
Either way, with a roster that has a lot of room to grow, we're looking forward to seeing the meta get shaken up and new synergies to be discovered.