An action RPG that is potentially based on League of Legends is in the works over at Riot Games, with a former employee leaking the news on social media.
Riot Games recently laid off hundreds of employees and shut down its Riot Forge operation, nixing partnerships between the developer and indie studios. Alongside this was a divestment of human resources away from Legends of Runeterra. Project L, an upcoming League of Legends fighting game, is still in the works alongside an MMORPG.
There seems to be an unannounced project in the works, being a third-person action RPG in Unreal Engine 5. This reportedly comes from the LinkedIn page of a former Riot Games employee.
This unnamed employee was a Senior System Designer between 2021 and 2023. In the description for what they worked on during this time, the employee says they joined the prototype team working on an action RPG. The team designed roguelike mechanics and daily quests. Other work included seasonal models, enemy factions, and crafting materials. From March 2023 until their departure in 2024 they employee acted as the Principal Narrative Designer for this RPG.
Is Riot Games working on a new League of Legends action RPG?
An action RPG by Riot Games has been in the research and development stage since at least 2021. This was revealed by a former employee of Riot, which was then highlighted by League of Legends leaker League of Leaks. However, it is unknown whether the action RPG was directly related to League of Legends or if it was completely separate, similar to Valorant.
After three years, the team likely made significant headway in its development, but the project may or may not ever launch. Riot recently slashed over 500 jobs, including the principal narrative designer for this project. It’s unknown how many other people on the project may have been cut from the company, or whether it was scrapped entirely.
Riot Games stated its layoffs were to redouble efforts towards some of its higher-priority projects and this may or may not be one of them. It is possible the action RPG is still in development but with a smaller team or overhauled team. Other areas of the company were harder hit by layoffs, with League of Legends esports being scaled back significantly and Legends of Runeterra potentially being sunsetted.
As for when will players could potentially get their hands on this game, it is impossible to predict. Project L was first revealed in 2019 and didn’t have its first playable demo until 2023. If the game is still alive, it might take a few years before it is released.
