Gamers looking forward to exploring the mysterious world of Runeterra in Riot Games’ League of Legends MMO may be concerned by the announcement that the game’s executive producer has left the company. Even as the MMO spin-off faces an uncertain future, the game that inspired it continues to steam ahead, with the latest patch for League of Legends bringing major changes to controversial Champion Yuumi.Released in 2009, Riot Games’ League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena, or MOBA, game heavily inspired by the Warcraft III custom map Defense of the Ancients. Putting players in control of one of over 100 unique Champions as they take part in online 5-v-5 battles from an isometric perspective, League of Legends quickly gained a dedicated following of players drawn in by the title’s addictive gameplay. The game’s ongoing popularity has led to the creation of numerous spin-off titles, such as the upcoming action RPG The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, as well as the critically acclaimed Netflix animated series Arcane, which is set in the League of Legends universe. A League of Legends MMO was announced in 2020, with news on the game’s development remaining scarce ever since.In a new thread on Twitter, game developer Greg Street has announced that he is stepping down from his role at Riot Games. Street, who had previously worked as the lead systems designer on Blizzard’s MMO World of Warcraft, had been serving as the executive producer and vice president of the in-development League of Legends MMO. Citing a “combo of personal and professional considerations” for his departure from Riot Games, Street sought to assure gamers that the League of Legends MMO was “in good hands” and stated that he was comfortable handing over development to new leadership.
Still seemingly excited about the mysterious MMO despite no longer being involved in its development, Street finished his thread by stating that he would be playing it alongside Riot’s fans when it is released. Responses to the Twitter thread announcing his departure from Riot Games were filled with praise from both League of Legends fans and former colleagues thanking Street for his hard work on the title and wishing him the best in his future endeavors. Showing just how revered Street was by some gamers, one respondent noted that they were no longer interested in the League of Legends MMO now that he was leaving.
While Greg Street himself had previously said that the League of Legends MMO may never be released, from his parting words it sounds like the game will still see the light of day eventually. What form it will take following the departure of one of its key designers, though, remains to be seen.
The League of Legends MMO is currently in development.