Riot Games Continues League of Legends MMO Development After 2024 Reset

What the report says

Riot Games has provided an update on its long-awaited League of Legends MMO project, which has been in development since 2020. Despite minimal public information, the company confirmed continued work after a significant 2024 reset following Greg Street's departure. The project, initially announced as a Runeterra-based game in late 2020, has seen no official imagery or detailed updates from the studio. With the team undergoing a leadership shift in 2024, the MMO's development trajectory remains uncertain, though Riot Games has maintained that the project is progressing steadily.

Co-founder Marc Merrill recently reaffirmed the project's status at PAX West 2026, stating the team is committed to delivering the game despite its ambitious scope. 'We know what players' hopes and dreams are. It's just on us, as a team and people, can we succeed in the word? What a worthy quest,' Merrill said. Internally, the project has been dubbed 'the Grail'—a reference to the high stakes and potential for significant challenges in bringing the game to life. The nickname underscores the team's awareness of the project's difficulty, but Merrill expressed confidence in their ability to navigate the complexities of developing a major MMO while maintaining the core identity of the League of Legends franchise.

But **** it, it's the Grail, so let's go. That's the mindset that we really try to cultivate and that is hard to do at scale. But I think we're doing a reasonable job, and I think the future is incredibly bright." We know what players' hopes and dreams are. It's just on us, as a team and people, can we succeed in the execution? What a worthy quest.Considering the long-term success of League of Legends and the enormous popularity of the MMO genre, this project feels like a match made in heaven. But at the same time, it's good that Riot Games is taking its time to get it right.

Key details

There is no shortage of extinct MMOs over the years, and because it's a genre with such established names at the top, even a major IP attached isn't a guarantee of success. Test your knowledge. Easy · 15s Medium · 10s Hard · 5s Permadeath · 5s Sign in to claim your place on the leaderboard! Leaderboard No scores yet. Be the first. 1/10 Question text goes here?Results 0 Points — Sign in to claim your place on the leaderboard! Leaderboard No scores yet. Be the first. The response to Merrill's statement after Riot Games posted it on X was mixed from the community, and with good reason.

Many players pointed to the recent end of active development on League of Legends' fighting game 2XKO as a reason it's hard to get excited about the prospect of the MMO. After all, the game had been released for less than a year when Riot pulled the plug, so it makes sense that some would be worried about the fate of the League of Legends MMO if it wasn't an instant hit. In reality, though, the vast resources required to create an MMO compared to a fighting game mean that the former would almost certainly have a longer leash to make things work.Despite launching almost 17 years ago now, League of Legends continues to go from strength to strength.

Riot Games recently released League Classic, a new game mode that aims to emulate gameplay found in earlier versions of the MOBA. League of Legends MOBA Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 84/100 Critics Rec: 90% Released October 27, 2009 ESRB T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco Developer(s) Riot Games Publisher(s) Riot Games Genre(s) MOBA 0:00 / 0:00