Riot Games Is (Still) Creating An MMO. Here’s What We Know

Did you know that Riot Games is working on a massively multiplayer online role-playing game? You bet. While Riot’s flagship multiplayer games League of Legends and Valorant have both taken center stage in the gaming world, Riot has more than just two games in the works. The California-based studio also has its own MMORPG on the way, with a dedicated fansite tracking all the latest news on the online game.

So, when can fans expect Riot’s MMO, and what will it be like? Here’s everything we know so far, based on official sources, leaks, and more.

Is there actually an MMORPG from Riot Games?

Yes. This is not a rumor, nor is it speculation. Riot officially confirmed that it is working on an MMORPG.

Less than a year after releasing Valorant, Riot Games published a recruitment page inviting game developers to apply for an unnamed MMORPG. In the February 22, 2021 post titled “We’re Making an MMO,” Riot said its MMORPG would be “based in the League universe” and that the developer was “just gearing up for the journey.” The studio announced that it was looking for developers with experience in “gameplay engineering,” “UX design,” and “game art” across “all sub-disciplines.”

“We know MMOs take a lot of people to create, and we’ll need a pretty big raid team if we want to bring Runeterra to life,” Riot said in 2021. “That’s where you come in. We’ll periodically post new roles, but right now we don’t have any specific openings on the team.”

What gameplay can we expect from Riot’s MMORPG?

We don’t exactly know how Riot’s MMO will be played. Not quite yet, anyway. We can certainly expect Riot’s MMORPG to be fantasy-themed, given the game takes place in the League universe. It also seems the game will utilize some kind of third-person camera system, according to The Riot MMO’s analysis of a spring 2023 job posting. Riot seemed particularly interested in a combat game designer with experience in both PvE and PvP gameplay, suggesting the MMORPG will allow players to go up against each other or cooperate against AI enemies.

Greg Street, the game’s former executive producer, also said on X (formerly Twittter) that Riot’s MMORPG “will almost certainly have RPG systems like stats, gear, dungeons.” Beyond that, however, we can only speculate. New job listings may give us key information about Riot’s intentions for its MMO, and we may be able to learn more about the MMORPG through Riot’s other massively multiplayer online project.

Wait, is there another Riot MMO?

While Riot is working on a confirmed MMORPG, there appears to be another, separate MMO project in production that’s an MMOFPS. That’s right, a massively multiplayer online shooter, theoretically with PvP combat.

Wild, no? According to hints from Riot, it’s on the way.

Codenamed Project T, we don’t really know much about this game yet. Does it take place in the Valorant universe? Does it have something to do with League? Is this game part of its own IP? All good questions, each of which we have zero answers for. Granted, an MMORPG for League and an MMOFPS for Valorant would make sense, but we’ll have to wait and see where Project T goes (including if it goes anywhere at all).

As for specifics about Project T, we know even less about this game than Riot’s untitled MMORPG. However, an archived game designer role hinted a new hire would have to “assist with the lead combat designer on weapon feel from the camera side” and “take more authority for the camera experience outside of moment-to-moment combat situations.” Riot was also looking for someone with “experience working with cameras or controls in a AAA PvP FPS.” So we should certainly expect Riot’s MMOFPS to involve some level of player-vs-player combat—which sounds like a good fit for the Valorant universe, right?

For more information and speculation, check out The Riot MMO’s post analyzing MMOFPS-related job listings and their implications for Riot’s future.

When are Riot Games’ MMOs coming out?

We don’t have a solid date for the Riot MMORPG, and don’t expect one any time soon. Street, who helped lead the MMORPG’s early production, stressed that Riot is not in a rush to put out its MMORPG. In 2021, Street said that Riot “wants to make this game and wants to make it right,” and that the team’s MMORPG team does not have to navigate the tricky diplomacy of “trying to convince the publisher not to rush them and to give them enough resources.” In short, Riot seems to want the game to come out when it’s ready.

That could take years. Even The Riot MMO speculated the game’s release could be as far off as 2025 or 2026.

Don’t worry, though. When Street left Riot, he stressed that the game “is in good hands,” and that Riot will “keep at it until the game is worthy of your expectations.”

He also hinted that fans should expect to hear more about Riot’s MMORPG through a similar format as Project L, Riot’s upcoming fighting game. That is to say, once Riot is ready to share more info on its MMORPG, expect overviews of production, insights into the team’s design decisions, and brief snippets of gameplay—not just hype and fodder.

As for Project T, we know even less about this MMOFPS. Don’t expect any new information on release dates until an official trailer drops in the (likely) distant future.

(featured image: Riot Games)