League of Legends started off as a simple DotA-inspired MOBA game, but it quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon. Riot Games' debut title exploded in popularity in the years following its 2009 release, to the point that it eventually became one of the most successful games of all time. Thanks in part to its free-to-play business model, League of Legends has been played by more than 150 million gamers worldwide and has generated over $1 billion dollars in revenue on an annual basis. Despite ongoing complaints about its toxic community, aggressive monetization, and lack of approachability towards newcomers, no game has truly been able to dethrone it.
Due to the overwhelming popularity of League, Riot Games was, at one point, unable to dedicate the time and resources to developing a new game. However, over the last 5 or so years, the Los Angeles-based studio has expanded its production efforts to other standalone projects. The first game that Riot released after the launch of League of Legends was 2019's Teamfight Tactics, an auto-battler set in the LoL universe. Afterward, it developed games in several other genres, including the PvP FPS Valorant and the card battler Legends of Runeterra. Nowadays, Riot is working to expand the League of Legends IP with multiple new spin-offs.
Balatro Fans Should Check Out League of Legends' The Demon's Hand
League of Legends may have struck gold with its new mini-game, The Demon's Hand, which has similar roguelike gameplay as Balatro.
All Upcoming League of Legends Spin-Off Games
2XKO
Out of all the League of Legends spin-offs that are currently in the pipeline, the one title that Riot Games has shared the most information about is 2XKO. Even though its name doesn't indicate as such, 2XKO is actually a free-to-play League of Legends-themed fighting game. Unlike other titles in the genre, such as Street Fighter or Tekken, this game features a tag team combat system. Players can select two characters to play as instead of one, and they can swap between them during a match. 2XKO is going to be released sometime later this year and, for the first time in Riot history, it will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on day one, as well as PC.
LoL eSports Manager
In addition to a 2v2 fighting game, Riot is also developing a new project called LoL eSports Manager. Initially unveiled during the League of Legends 10th anniversary event in 2019, LoL eSports Manager is a management simulation game that tasks players with, unsurprisingly, managing a League of Legends eSports team. The game is being developed exclusively for iOS and Android devices, and it will employ heavy gacha game mechanics. An open beta version of LoL eSports Manager was technically released in China back in 2022, but there has been very little information about when it will come to the West, if ever.
Untitled League of Legends MMORPG
Over the last several years, Riot Games has been working on an MMORPG that takes place in the world of Runeterra and, although it doesn't have an official name, it's still very much in active development. Some employees at Riot revealed in early 2024 that production of the MMO had been rebooted, since they felt it wasn't distinct enough compared to its contemporaries. However, an executive from the company later confirmed during the Worlds 2024 Grand Final that the LoL MMO was going in a "great direction." Even though the game isn't coming out anytime soon, it seems its development is finally on the right track.
Project F
Perhaps the most mysterious game that's currently in the works at Riot Games is Project F. This title, which was revealed during the 10th anniversary League of Legends celebration event, is a Diablo-like isometric action RPG that is set in the League of Legends universe. Aside from a brief snippet of gameplay, Riot has shared very little information about Project F since its announcement in 2019, but it is presumably still in development.
-
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
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- League of Legends
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- MOBA
