Riot Games is taking the League of Legends franchise into another medium, with a massively-multiplayer online roleplaying game set in the expansive Runeterra universe now well into development.
The League franchise has rolled into auto-battlers, trading cards, and fighting games, and raked in mainstream fans with a stellar Netflix series Arcane.
The Runeterra expansion isn’t slowing down either. Arcane’s season two is well on its way, and simultaneously, Riot devs are now working on a new MMO title, set in their long-standing fantasy land, that will challenge genre heavyweights like World of Warcraft, Lost Ark, and Final Fantasy. Though the game is still a ways off, it’s expected to shake the gaming landscape.
Here’s absolutely everything you need to know about Riot’s long-awaited MMO.
When will the League MMO release?
Unfortunately, Riot has yet to lock in any official release date for the League of Legends MMO, though a late 2025 or even early 2026 release window looks likely considering when development began behind the scenes.
In 2020, several Riot devs confirmed the MMO’s existence after months of silence. It stands to reason a four to five-year dev cycle isn’t out of the question.
During the 2023 Esports Awards in November that year, Marc Merrill, Riot Games Co-Founder and CPO at Riot, gave a few details about the game’s development. He claimed it’s a project he’s the “most invested in,” and the team is “trying to do it right,” though, it’s “a very hard thing.” He also acknowledged there’s lots to do, it’s a complex project, and the bar is very high. Therefore, a release date sooner than 2025 seems unlikely, and even that can be delayed further.
League MMO: Subscription model or free to play?
Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer to this question yet; League MMO ex-boss Greg Street has commented on the game’s approach in general terms and said Riot is considering financing the title with cosmetics in a similar vein to other flagship titles like League, VALORANT, and TFT.
The previous head MMO dev was also quite vocal about not liking the “stress” subscription models put on players to constantly play.
On top of that, Street has gone on the record to say players won’t have to worry about “pay to win” features no matter what MMO model they go with. So there’s high chance the MMO will be free to enjoy for everyone. However, as Street has left Riot in March 2023, it’s unclear whether the League MMO will continue to lean towards the free-to-play model or if it will be subscription-based. But, he promised he leaves the project “in good hands,” so there shouldn’t be a reason to worry.
Runeterra regions in League MMO
League boasts one of the most expensive fantasy worlds in gaming, with Runeterra—the title’s universe—spanning thirteen diverse regions. Dot Esports expects some elements from all these places will be in the game.
It’s likely the League MMO will focus on popular Runeterra regions like Demacia, Ionia, and Arcane’s stomping grounds, the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun. Fantastical regions like Bandle City, Shurima, and the Shadow Isles will probably be utilized as adventure areas and Raid settings.
Here’s the full list of Runeterra regions:
- Bandle City
- Bilgewater
- Demacia
- Ionia
- Ixtal
- Noxus
- Piltover
- Shadow Isles
- Shurima
- Targon
- The Freljord
- The Void
- Zaun
There’s every chance some regions are saved for future MMO expansions, like the trading card game Runeterra did in 2020, but only time will tell at this stage.
Here’s the likely League MMO game map
Riot has yet to actually confirm their new League MMO title will be established in Runeterra, but considering how they’ve gone about developing their fantasy world in the past, it would be a major shock for the roleplaying title to take long-standing franchise fans to a different universe.
Here’s how the Runeterra map looks like and what the League MMO map should resemble in-game.
Potential League MMO classes
Riot has the perfect setup for their League MMO ready with their current champion classes from their flagship MOBA title. There are six primary classes (all of which are listed below) and then between two and three subclasses in each—except the marksman, which stands alone.
Given the developers will likely aim to preserve some kind of balance in terms of classes, we can expect some new subclasses for marksman, for example. Or, they could just overhaul the entire system and start from scratch, though, that seems fairly unlikely.
Here’s each League class and subclass.
Controller
- Enchanter
- Catcher
Fighter
- Juggernaut
- Diver
Mage
- Burst
- Battlemage
- Artillery
Marksman
Slayer
- Assassin
- Skirmisher
Tank
- Vanguard
- Warden
Some variations of these classic fantasy roles should be present in the MMO title. We believe Enchanter, Juggernaut, Battlemage, Marksman, Assassin, and Warden to be the six starting classes in the game—talk about a solid blend.
Will the League MMO have Raids?
Ex-League MMO lead producer Greg Street, who pivoted from working on the company’s flagship title in 2020, has said that end-game Raids are one the most important factors in the title’s development. He has even suggested he will be “crushed” if his team doesn’t actually hit the mark with their endgame designs.
Street previously said, “Anyone that knows me from my WoW developer days would know that I love dungeons and raids as a player.”
The upcoming MMO has several great bosses to draw on already too, including Baron Nashor, Elder Drake, Krugs, Gromp, and any of the 166 champs in League.
Will League MMO have PvP?
Almost every MMO title has a PvP system to some extent, so it would be foolish to believe the case is different with League MMO. Luckily, Street has confirmed it for us already. In December 2021, he admitted “we will [have PvP],” when discussing the team and game’s goals.
For now, that’s everything we know about the League MMO. Development continues behind the scenes, with a great team leading the title production. The previous head dev, Street, did warn players “not everyone will love every feature… [and] we won’t make choices that everyone agrees with.”
Interestingly, the ex-MMO boss also had another warning: If the title isn’t good enough, “Riot will cancel [it].” So keep those fingers crossed!
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Published: Jan 3, 2024 09:00 am