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Riot Games is making an MMORPG set in the League of Legends universe, and according to the game’s executive producer Greg Street, it’s not going to please everyone.
While technically announced, Riot’s MMO is in its incredibly early stages, with the announcement of the project largely serving as a way to attract more talent to the project. As such, almost any information shared about the game is new information, and Street seemed open to answering fan questions in an ongoing Twitter thread about the project. He started off the thread setting some expectations for players, namely, that there is no way the game will appeal to all players and that some many not like the game at all.
Street goes on to state that the game will “almost certainly” have systems like stats, gear, and dungeons, though the team isn’t “ready to yet talk about how much it is or is not like other games out there.” Street himself says he’s a big fan of traditional style MMO dungeons and raids, saying he would specifically be “crushed” if the game didn’t deliver on an enjoyable raiding experience.
Further in the thread Street writes he will be looking to gather player feedback in the coming years on exactly how much time players want to invest in any particular game on a per day and per week basis, and that he thinks it’s “cruel for any game to try to be the only game you’ll ever play when there are so many great games out there.” When asked whether or not the game will be beginner friendly, Street replied that “it has to be” because there are plenty of players who have never played a MMO before.
The full thread is worth a read, as Street goes on to touch on subjects like the leveling experience in MMOs, the role of influencers and streamers, and whether or not players will be able to pet the dog.
Street is a veteran MMORPG designer who was for many years lead system designer on Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. He’s been at Riot for more than seven years and has worn many hats there, including lead gameplay designer on League of Legends and vice president of IP and Entertainment.
As for when players can expect to learn more about Riot’s MMO, Street writes the game won’t be shown in 2021 and that the team “won’t show much for a long time.” However, Street goes on to write that the team will need to show the game early so that there is time to incorporate feedback “before it’s too late.”
League of Legend served as Riot’s sole game for years, but the developer now has a number of projects both ongoing and upcoming under its roof. Valorant, Riot’s hero-shooter, released last summer and is currently combating a toxicity problem, while a mobile version of League of Legends, called Wild Rift, launched in open beta earlier this year. Riot is also working on a fighting game codenamed Project L, a project that may still have a ways to go according to one developer.
