In a large setback to Riot Games‘ League of Legends MMO, the team has decided to “reset the direction” of the project and will be “‘going dark’ for a long time – likely several years”.
Riot Games has been working on a League of Legends MMO set within the Runeterra universe for some time now. It was officially announced back in 2020, with a recruiting webpage shared in February 2021. However, the latest update isn’t good news for fans who were hoping to play the game soon.
Marc Merill, president of Riot Games and co-founder of League of Legends, shared the news on his Twitter that the decision to reset the direction of the game was made “some time ago.” This is because, “the initial vision just wasn’t different enough from what you can play today. We don’t believe you all want an MMO that you’ve played before with a Runeterra coat of paint”.
Fan responses to the tweets have been pessimistic, with one person saying that “most want” that. “Not sure who at Riot decided we didn’t want exactly this, but seems a bit out of touch”, replied another.
Hey all – We know many of you are hungry for news about the @riotgames #MMO project, and we really appreciate your patience and the incredible support you’ve shown us so far. I’m writing to update you today on where we’re at. And before anyone panics: yes, we are still working on…
— Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) March 20, 2024
Merill confirmed that the League Of Legends MMO is still being worked on, and Fabrice Condominas had been brought on as an executive producer to help oversee this new direction. Condominas previously worked with Riot, BioWare, and EA.
He added that the team “started laying the groundwork for this pivot some time ago”, and that Vijay Thakkar, the former executive producer, is now going to be technical director for the MMO.
In other news, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has revealed its stunning facial animations in a new story trailer for the upcoming Marvel game, featuring Black Panther and Captain America fighting across World War Two-era Paris.