Riot Games To “Reset” Development On ‘League Of Legends’ MMO: “The Initial Vision Just Wasn’t Different Enough From What You Can Play Today”
Spencer Baculi
|
In a development that’s as equally crushing to League of Legends fans as it is optimistic, Riot Games has announced that, after realizing that their progress thus far had amounted to nothing more than ‘standard fare’, they will be scrapping development on the series’ upcoming MMO and taking the project back to square.
This update on the still-untitled LoL spin-off – the first since its initial reveal all the way back in 2020 – was provided to the public courtesy of Riot Games’ co-founder and president, Marc Merrill.
Taking to his personal Twitter account on March 20th, Merrill informed fans that while they were, in fact, “still working” on the game, “After a lot of reflection and discussion, we’ve decided to reset the direction of the project some time ago.”
“This decision wasn’t easy, but it was necessary,” he explained. “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 [the official name for the ‘world of LoL] coat of paint,” the LoL co-creator continued “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.”
“This is a huge challenge,” Merrill added, “but one that our team of deeply passionate MMO players and game development veterans is incredibly motivated to pursue.”
RELATED: Riot Games Reveals ‘League Of Legends’ Esports Is Not Breaking Even
The Riot Games exec then revealed that, in service of this pivot, they had hired Mass: Effect Andromeda lead gameplay producer and Star Wars: Squadrons lead producer Fabrice Condominas to replace previous shape the game’s second iteration.
“With this new direction, I’m excited to introduce [Condominas] as the new Executive Producer of the MMO. Fabrice’s experience as a player and passion for creating immersive worlds is extraordinary,” he said. “Having led big projects at Riot, BioWare, and EA, he brings a fresh perspective and a shared commitment to excellence that will guide our team as they continue on this difficult journey.”
“We started laying the groundwork for this pivot some time ago and over the last year under [studio MMO technical director] Vijay Thakkar’s management, we built key components of the technical foundation to create the kind of ambitious game we’re talking about,” Merrill he further elaborated. “We’re grateful for Vijay’s leadership and that he’ll be part of the game leadership team going forward as our Technical Director.”
Unfortunately for fans, while this reset is ostensibly being done in order to provide them with a better experience, Merrill revealed that it would come at a cost.
“Resetting our development path also means we will be “going dark” for a long time—likely several years,” he told those excited for the MMO. “This silence will help provide space for the team to focus on the incredible amount of work ahead of them. We understand the excitement and anticipation that surrounds new information, but we ask for your trust during this silent phase. Remember, ‘no news is good news,’ as it means we’re hard at work, pouring our hearts and souls into making something that we hope you’ll love.”
Drawing his announcement to a close, the Riot Games boss ultimately asserted, “Thank you for believing in us and for your patience. We’re incredibly committed to this mission and we look forward to the adventure ahead and the stories we’ll tell together.”
As of writing, outside of its existence and the fact that it is now undergoing a ‘reset’, absolutely no details are known about the upcoming LoL MMO.
More About:Video Games