The upcoming League of Legends MMO currently in development at Riot is "going great" but still might end up not shipping, the game’s executive producer says.
In a recent tweet, Greg Street said: "A few weeks ago I made a tweet where I intended to emphasize what a commitment I had made to this MMO. Some players and media latched onto the "might never ship" part and extrapolated that the development was not going well. Spoiler: It is going great. This team is so stacked."
It seems like there's a bit of confusion surrounding the upcoming game, which was quietly announced by developer Riot back in 2020. Things have been made slightly more baffling by Street's tweets however with fans questioning whether or not the game will ever ship at all.
- 4 years later, the League of Legends MMO remains a major project for Riot Games' co-founder who says it's "exactly the type of company" that should be making MMOs
- World of Warcraft and League of Legends MMO veteran says he saw Riot and Blizzard "seemingly abandon" approaching development "from a place of humility instead of arrogance"
But there is no guarantee any game in this business will ship. Anyone who makes that promise is essentially saying they will ship even if the game is disappointing. We won’t ship a disappointing game. (We also won’t crunch just to make sure the game is as good as it can be.)April 20, 2022
Following on from this, Street also replied in a thread explaining how regardless of how good development is currently going, "there is no guarantee any game in this business will ship." Before going on to emphasize the fact that "[Riot] won’t ship a disappointing game. (We also won’t crunch just to make sure the game is as good as it can be.)"
The next tweet in the thread appears to muddy the waters even more as Street then goes on to say: "Do I think Riot will launch an MMO at some point? Absolutely. There are so many good reasons to do it. Maybe I am not the right leader, or this is not the right team, or our design isn’t the right one. But the company will keep at it until the game is worthy of your expectations."
Thanks for your support and patience. We got you.April 20, 2022
There's a touch of humility to Street's posts that's certainly admirable. That said, the decision to tell fans that the project they're excited for might never see the light of day - despite Riot having spent many years talking about it - is an odd one. Game development has plenty of ups and downs, but it's rare to see those realities portrayed in quite so stark a manner.
For now, it’s best for fans to remain patient and leave the League of Legends MMO in the developer’s capable hands. Street also showed appreciation for fans that are already excited for the game in the final tweet of the thread by saying: "Thanks for your support and patience. We got you."
Looking for something to play in the meantime? Take a look at our best MMORPG list for inspiration.
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