Is Riot’s LoL MMO canceled? League MMO delays, explained

One of the most anticipated video games in development today is Riot Games’ upcoming League of Legends-based MMO title, currently without a running code name or title. There have, however, been some major setbacks in the project’s timeline that have some fans worried about their favorite game yet to be released.

Riot’s League MMO was officially confirmed in 2020 after the company announced projects in multiple different game genres, including an autobattler, a long-awaited fighting game, and a globally renowned first-person shooter. Most people working on the MMO remained hush-hush when it came to details for the title, but it was clear to most fans that an endeavor of this magnitude would require plenty of time and patience.

Unfortunately, Riot Games has also suffered some major stumbles since the MMO announcement that has led to decisions being made about the future of the project. With the world watching, the League MMO has been delayed for very specific reasons.

League MMO delays, explained

On March 20, 2024, Riot’s chief product officer Mark Merrill dropped a series of candid posts around the state of the League MMO, and confirmed that the developers made the tough decision to “reset the direction of the project” completely. As a result, Merrill has warned fans that they will not get any information around the MMO for “several years,” much to the chagrin of expectant enthusiasts.

“The initial vision just wasn’t different enough from what you can play today,” Merrill said in his post. “We don’t believe you all want an MMO that you’ve played before with a Runeterra coat of paint; to truly do justice to the potential of Runeterra and to meet the incredibly high expectations of players around the world, we need to do something that truly feels like a significant evolution of the genre.”

That being said, the game is still in development, but will probably take a much longer time to perfect before any significant updates will be given. They also introduced Fabrice Condominas as the new executive producer of the MMO, which should bode well for the project since he’s worked with major companies such as Riot, BioWare, and EA.

Although there wasn’t a solid release date for given the MMO, players should just look ahead and focus on the present while Riot creates and shapes a world that we can all be proud to explore in the years to come.