The League of Legends MMO is Finally Happening, Headed by Ghostcrawler
I worked in MMO reviews/journalism for six years, and waited for this announcement the entire time. Only when I leave for the esports end, do we get this colossal announcement: the League of Legends MMO is in the works, and it’s headed up by Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street! Ghostcrawler was a pivotal man behind the growth and development of World of Warcraft, and this can only bode well for the confirmation. There has never been a better time, either. There is so much lore, such a vast world already there. How will they develop this, and what do we know? Sadly we know little, but let’s talk about it!
Not a WoW-Killer
Greg Street announced yesterday that his recent job at Riot Games is to help develop the League of Legends universe. In addition, he said:
I have news!
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) December 18, 2020
My recent job at Riot has been to help develop the League universe, which we’re going to need!
Because it is time. My new job is to kick off a big (some might say massive) game that many of you, and many Rioters, have been asking us to create.
PS We’re hiring
“Because it is time. My new job is to kick off a big (some might say massive) game that many of you, and many Rioters, have been asking us to create.”
Yes, that means a League of Legends MMO is in development. I wouldn’t suggest it’s on the way anytime soon; an MMO takes a long time to develop. But it could have already been in the works for months and nobody would be the wiser. There are no specifics right now, but it will take place in Runeterra, League of Legends’ world.
Ghostcrawler was the Lead Systems Developer for World of Warcraft from 2008 until 2013. For my money, this was the best time in World of Warcraft. How could this work though? Will it be character-class based, or more open? Will characters play as the popular League of Legends characters? That part I think is doubtful. Those characters are most likely to be bosses, faction NPCs, things of that nature.
Not A WoW Killer, and That’s Okay
However, the most important thing to keep away from is the notion of a “WoW Killer”. Some other people have asked this question or suggested it will be. Riot Games is huge after all and has millions of fans around the world. Even people who don’t like/don’t play MMOs will give this a shot, I can promise that. Take it from me though, that is the furthest thing from Riot Games’ mind.
Why? Many have tried, and all have failed. Warhammer Online, Age of Conan, and so many more stepped up to try and dethrone WoW. Do you know why those failed, and Final Fantasy XIV continues to thrive? Because making your game’s goal to best something else is going to fail. There is room for more than one MMO in the world. That’s why FFXIV keeps popularity (other than a compelling story gorgeous graphics, challenge, constant content. . .).
Riot Games will understand that and focus on making the best game they can. You can see that with League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Valorant. Each of these games shines in their genre, without having to purposely try and overtake other games. CSGO is still being played, and so is Hearthstone. There’s room for more on our plates, and a League of Legends MMO sounds exciting.
We’ve still got so many questions though! Will it have competitive PVP modes? Isometric or more traditional 3rd person/1st person? If there was anyone I’d trust to make a killer MMO, it’s people have who made already made such a rich, diverse world, and a man like Ghostcrawler who has years of experience in the MMO space already.
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