Untitled Runeterra MMO
| Untitled Runeterra MMO | |
|---|---|
 "Map of Runeterra" by Riot Games | |
| Developer | Riot Games |
| Publisher | Riot Games |
| Producers | Marc Merrill, Fabrice Condominas, Sarah Tudor, Raymond Bartos |
| Series | League of Legends |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Platform | Windows |
| Release | Expected 2028 – 2029 |
| Genre | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
The Untitled Runeterra MMO (often referred to simply as "the Riot MMO") is an upcoming MMORPG developed by Riot Games and set in Runeterra, the fictional world of League of Legends. The game will be part of Riot's new unified Runeterra canon,[1] alongside Arcane,[2] Legends of Runeterra, and all other Runeterra content released after October 13, 2023.[3]
Riot Games announced the project on December 17, 2020.[4] At the time, development was led by executive producer Greg Street (known as "Ghostcrawler").[5]
Little is known about the game's features, although it reportedly has a "persistent sandbox world", "innovative gameplay concepts" and "action RPG elements".[6][7] The game is confirmed to feature third person, as well as a focus on action combat as opposed to tab targeting. Greg Street also stated that a pay-to-play or subscription model would be unlikely, citing Riot's typical business model of creating free-to-play games supported by cosmetic microtransactions.[8]
In early 2024, Riot Games co-founder and chief product officer Marc Merrill (known as "Tryndamere") announced that the project's direction had been partially reset after the team concluded that an earlier version was too similar to existing MMORPGs. Merrill also stated that Riot intended to limit public communication during development.[9]
As of 2026, the game is expected to be released before 2030, according to co-founder Marc Merrill.[10]
Development
[edit]Early development
[edit]Early research and development on a League of Legends MMO began as early as 2016.[11] On December 17, 2020, Greg Street (previously a Rioter for 7 years and a lead systems designer on World of Warcraft), announced that Riot was making an MMO set in the League of Legends universe.[12] This was followed by several posts on social media by other Riot employees announcing that they were searching for "MMO veterans" to join the team. In the months following the announcement, Riot provided limited public updates regarding the project.[13]
Early statements from Riot indicated that the game would have a "very large" open world and an emphasis on "respecting the player's time", including a lower expected time commitment from players and less "FOMO" than other MMO titles.[14]
Major reset
[edit]In March 2023, Greg Street announced his departure from Riot, citing both personal and professional reasons, and stated that the project would continue under new leadership.[15] Vijay Thakkar replaced Greg Street as the executive producer on the MMO until 2024. A decision to reset the MMO was made around the time of Street’s departure, and Thakkar was placed in charge of preparing the technical foundations for future development due to his previous experience serving as the game's technical director.[16]
In March 2024, Riot confirmed that development of the MMO had undergone a significant reset “some time ago”. According to Marc Merrill, the decision was made because the existing version of the game was too similar to other MMORPGs on the market.[17] The company stated that it did not want to produce a game that mostly copied other MMOs with a Runeterra "coat of paint", and instead chose to partially restart development to pursue a more distinct direction. Merrill stated that Riot aims to create something that is "a significant evolution of the genre".[13]
This announcement was accompanied by news that Fabrice Condominas (known as "Faburisu") would act as the new executive producer on the MMO. Following the reset, Merrill stated that the project would "go dark", entering a period of limited public communication for several years, and reassured fans that "no news is good news."[18]
After the major reset
[edit]On January 15, 2026, Raymond Bartos (known as "GoodGuyRay"), a former lead producer on World of Warcraft, announced that he was joining the Runeterra MMO team as a senior game producer.[7]
On April 15, 2026, Riot confirmed that it had previously explored the possibility of investing in or acquiring Intrepid Studios, the developer of Ashes of Creation (another MMO that was in development at the time), but ultimately chose not to proceed with a deal.[19]
On June 1st, 2026, Brian Holinka, previously the lead combat designer on World of Warcraft responsible for class design and PvP content, announced that he was joining the Runeterra MMO team as a principal game designer.[20]
As of 2026, the game is in active development, with Fabrice Condominas serving as the executive producer under supervision by Marc Merrill, who is "heavily involved in the new direction",[21] and said that Riot is "more committed than ever" to developing its MMO.[22]
The project remains without an official title or release date. No gameplay footage, screenshots, trailers, or MMO-exclusive artwork have been officially released or leaked to the public as of June 2026.[23]
Reception and anticipation
[edit]Despite the lack of publicly released gameplay material, the project has attracted significant attention due to the popularity of the League of Legends IP and Riot's involvement.[18] It is frequently cited among the most anticipated upcoming MMORPGs, especially after several MMOs failed in 2025 and 2026.[21][24]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Kamberovic, Rijad (2022-07-26). "League of Legends MMO Will Be New Lore Canon". AltChar. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Arcane becomes canon in League of Legends as Riot overhauls lore | GosuGamers". www.gosugamers.net. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Arcane is officially canon, and from now on League of Legends lore is going to stop contradicting itself all over the place, says Riot". Yahoo Tech. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Lamb, Jessica (2020-12-18). "Riot Games Casually Confirms a "League of Legends" MMO". NERDBOT. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Geracie, Nick (2020-12-18). "[UPDATED 12/18] Riot Games confirms that Ghostcrawler will be developing a MMORPG". InvenGlobal. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Riot's secretive MMO is a 'persistent sandbox world' according to a job description | Massively Overpowered". 2025-10-24. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- 1 2 "Riot Games' unnamed MMORPG project picks up a former World of Warcraft producer | Massively Overpowered". 2026-01-19. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Kanon (2022-11-10). RIOT MMO Director FULL Interview ft. Greg Street (Ghostcrawler). Retrieved 2026-04-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Riot has 'reset' development on League of Legends MMO". Game Developer. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Necrit (2025-06-24). Another Update on Riot's MMO... Retrieved 2026-04-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Necrit (2023-07-07). An Interview With The Riot MMO Developers. Retrieved 2026-04-27 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Leitsch, Alexander (2020-12-18). "Riot kündigt endlich das LoL-MMORPG an, auf das viele von euch warten". Mein-MMO. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- 1 2 "Riot Games has 'reset' League of Legends MMO, now years from release | GosuGamers". www.gosugamers.net. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "Riot doesn't want the Runeterra MMO to 'be the only game you will ever play' | Massively Overpowered". 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
- ↑ Gonzalez, Christina (Jan 19, 2026). "Riot Games' MMO Continues Development, Former WoW Lead Producer Joins the Team". mmorpg.com. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2026-06-22.
- ↑ Thorn, Ed (2024-03-21). "Riot's League Of Legends MMO has been "reset" and likely "going dark for several years"". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- 1 2 Blake, Vikki (2026-01-20). "Former World of Warcraft Producer Joins Riot Games, Sparking Hope the League of Legends MMO Might Actually Come Out". IGN. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ Crichton-Stuart, Eliza (2026-04-16). "Riot Games Almost Bought Ashes of Creation for $250 Million". GAMES.GG. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ published, Andy Chalk (2026-06-01). "The League of Legends MMO adds another World of Warcraft vet to its team". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- 1 2 Totilo, Stephen. "Interview: Riot Games still wants to make an MMO (and just a few other things)". www.gamefile.news. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ published, Anthony McGlynn (2026-04-16). "Riot is "more committed to" the League of Legends MMO "than ever," co-founder says, but it did consider buying the now-dead Ashes of Creation". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "League of Legends MMO producer departing Riot Games". Eurogamer.net. 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
- ↑ "MMO Hype Train: The eight upcoming MMO projects I'm most anticipating | Massively Overpowered". 2025-10-05. Retrieved 2026-04-27.