Ever since Riot officially announced in December 2020 that It was making a Runeterra MMO, fans have been clamoring for just what that looks like. Now, it'll be even more years before it sees the light of day, as the company announced it's been 'reset.'
Riot's League of Legends MMO has had an interesting development cycle, as the MMO was officially announced in 2020 with former World of Warcraft developer Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street helming the project.
In the intervening years since, though, a lot has changed. Street is no longer associated with the project, leaving in March of 2023 due to the "combo of personal and professional reasons." Street is now building a new MMO with his own studio, Fantastic Pixel Castle.
Since Street's departure, Riot's Runeterra MMO has been discussed very little publicly —until now. Riot's Marc Merril took to a Twitter thread yesterday morning to explain the League of Legends company's radio silence and announce that it has "reset" development on the project.
Hey all - We know many of you are hungry for news about the @riotgames #MMO project, and we really appreciate your patience and the incredible support you've shown us so far. I’m writing to update you today on where we’re at. And before anyone panics: yes, we are still working on…
— Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) March 20, 2024
"We know many of you are hungry for news about the [Riot Games MMO] project, and we really appreciate your patience and the incredible support you've shown us so far," Merrill says on Twitter. He continued:
"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. The initial vision just wasn't different enough from what you can play today."
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. The initial vision just wasn’t different enough from what you can play today. We don’t believe you all want an MMO that…
— Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) March 20, 2024
Merrill cited that the team's belief that players want to play something new, not an "MMO that you've played before with a Runeterra coat of paint." As a result, Merrill says the team will need to do something "that truly feels like a significant evolution of the genre" to achieve this.
"This is a huge challenge, but one that our team of deeply passionate MMO players and game development veterans is incredibly motivated to pursue," he added.
As part of the Twitter thread announcing this reset, Merrill also introduced Fabrice Condominas, the new executive producer stepping into the role at the helm of Riot's MMO. Condominas has a history of working at BioWare, EA, and Riot. Merrill also announced that Vijay Thakkar, who managed the team during the shift, will stay on the leadership team as the MMO's technical director.
As a result of all this shake-up and resetting of the Riot MMO, Merrill acknowledged that news will be scarce—if not nonexistent—for a time. While Street was very open about gathering opinions and drip-feeding info about the design philosophy of the League of Legends MMO during his time at the helm, Merrill cautions that this reset will likely mean that news will likely be dark for "several years."
Resetting our development path also means we will be "going dark" for a long time—likely several years. 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…
— Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) March 20, 2024
"Resetting our development path also means we will be 'going dark' for a long time - likely several years. This silence will help provide space for the team to focus on the incredible amount of work ahead of them. "
