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Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, announced Project L, a fighting game, during its 10th-anniversary celebration. The game has been rumored for some time, and it was confirmed that Riot had been working on it since acquiring Radiant Entertainment, a developer run by EVO co-founder Tom Cannon, in 2016. The game is still in development and has released some details about its roster and setup.
Riot Games Project L: Release date
The release date for Project L, the fighting game being developed by Riot Games, has not yet been announced. During the game’s reveal, Tom Cannon, the game’s designer and co-founder of EVO, stated that the game was still in development and that it would be a while before it was released. In November 2021, Riot provided an update on the game’s development, stating that it would not be released in 2022.
Thx for all the well wishes for Riot's fighting gsme project. Just want to make one thing clear, the game is not close to release, or even Alpha.
— Tom Cannon (@ProtomCannon) October 16, 2019
Project L will be F2P
According to a developer diary video from Riot Games, the upcoming 2D fighting game set in the Runeterra universe, Project L, will be free-to-play. The company has not provided any specific details about the game’s monetization scheme. Still, Tom Cannon, the game’s designer, stated that the decision to make the game free-to-play was motivated by a desire to “remove as many barriers as possible” and allow players to enjoy the game regardless of their skill level or financial resources.
Riot Games Project L: Gameplay
In November 2021, developers of Project L provided an update on the game, revealing that it will be an “assist fighter” in which players create teams of two fighters, with one serving as the primary fighter and the other able to be called in for assist attacks. The game’s designers, Tom and Tony Cannon, also stated that they hope to create a game that is easy for new players to learn but challenging for experienced players to master.
Which characters will be in Project L?
Riot hasn’t officially revealed a roster, but from the many videos they’ve released, it’s clear that the League of Legends champions will be there. All four of Ahri, Katarina, Jinx, and Darius made appearances. We learned from the most recent update that Ekko will also feature in the game. We’re looking at a fox-mage, an assassin with throwing knives, a brutal warrior with a gigantic axe, a minigun and rocket launcher user, and a time traveler, so there’s some significant variation there.
The August 2022 developer diary video for Project L revealed that Illaoi would be part of the game’s roster. An accompanying blog post from Riot provided additional details about the design process for translating Illaoi’s abilities into a fighting game context. According to the post, Illaoi will be a powerful brawler who uses her golden idol and phantom sea-tentacles in combat.
As League of Legends has a large roster of over 160 champions, it is unclear which characters will be included in Project L. It is likely that most humanoid champions will be included, but it is possible that certain champions like Cho’Gath, Rumble, or Aurelion Sol may not be included due to their unique abilities and mechanics. It will be interesting to see how the developers adapt these characters, if at all, for a fighting game context.
Other Riot Games Project L rumors
The visual design of Project L has been refined since it was first previewed, and the game now resembles other 2.5D fighting games. Based on the limited gameplay footage that has been released, the game appears to include many standard elements of fighting games, such as health bars, special attack gauges, round-timers, and combo counters. However, as the game is still in development, it is possible that these elements may be subject to change.
When Riot Games acquired Radiant Entertainment in 2016, it was widely believed that the company was interested in the work that Tom Cannon, the founder of Radiant and co-founder of EVO, was doing on a game called Rising Thunder. Rising Thunder was notable for its accessibility, as it was designed to be easy for new players to pick up without memorizing complex combos. One of the game’s unique features was that entire combos could be triggered with a single button press, allowing players to use a keyboard instead of a fight stick. It is possible that elements of Rising Thunder’s design will be incorporated into Project L.
Riot Games is known for creating more accessible versions of complex games, such as MOBAs and autochess. Given this history, it is reasonable to assume that Project L will draw on the design philosophy of Rising Thunder, which was focused on making fighting games more approachable for new players. It is possible that Project L will incorporate elements of Rising Thunder’s design in order to make the game more accessible.
By the way, did you know that some Riot Games’ titles are coming to Xbox Game Pass?
Riot Games Project L: Screenshots
This most recent peek at Project L was posted to Riot’s official YouTube channel and directed by executive producer Tom Cannon and game director Shaun Rivera. The developer’s diary delves into the current condition of various champions who had already been disclosed, like Illaoi, and explains the design principles for making the League fighter an assist-based match.
Below you can see some of the screenshots of Riot Games Project L:
