League of Legends publisher Riot Games has announced plans to work with third-party developers to create new games that expand on the League of Legends (LoL) universe.
Riot Forge is the first initiative of its kind at Riot and the company says it will ‘enhance Riot’s Research and Development (R&D) efforts’.
Riot Forge will focus on developing ‘completable game experiences’ for players who want to explore the League of Legends world in different genres on various platforms.
At the same time it says it wants the games to complement the other live service games being developed internally by Riot that were shared during its LoL 10 Year Anniversary celebration. These include Legends of Runeterra, Project A FPS, a LoL mobile game, Esports Manager and more.
Riot says the Forge program will partner closely with third party developers to ensure they are supported by Riot’s teams to create ‘fun, compelling and unique game experiences in their own voice’ within the LoL universe.
Leanne Loombe, head of Riot Forge, commented:
“We are humbled by our partner developers who are so passionate to work on games set in the LoL IP, which offers limitless potential with its expansive world and deep champion pool.”
Leanne Loombe, Riot Forge
“We are sincerely committed to our developers’ long term success and together we aim to deliver great experiences for players of all types.”
Greg Street, VP of IP and Entertainment at Riot Games, added: “We are always looking for new ways to bring the World of Runeterra and its champions to new and existing audiences around the world.
“There are so many talented game studios around the world that have exceptional experience and craft skills in all areas of game development, and we are really excited to work together to bring the LoL IP to new game experiences.”
There’s more info over at www.riotforgegames.com
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
