Today, Riot Games released a job posting which revealed the Riot MMO will be third person action combat. Before we discuss this any further, it is possible the Riot MMO can change drastically. Co-founder Marc Merrill has stated numerous times the game is still in early development.
Table of Contents
What Does the Job Posting Say?
Overview of Game Direction
The job posting initially reiterates the hype and desire for this MMO set in the League Universe. Interestingly, the post touches on catering to a multi-generation audience. We couldn’t agree more. Between the following several factors, Riot Games will indeed attract several generations. For instance, the stylized art Riot is known for, the maturity of League’s 2009 launch, the plethora of new games Riot has released lately, and the somewhat aging population of the MMORPG genre. Finally, the job ad, attributes much of its success to refined combat experience.
A key ingredient to our success is delivering cutting edge action combat that is immediately satisfying and remains engaging for thousands of hours of play.
Riot Games
Details on the Combat
One of the most repeated phrases within the job ad is ‘for years to come’. Riot is looking to develop a world-class combat user experience that lasts for years. Riot wants the following in their combat
- Cutting edge
- Immediately satisfying
- Compelling combat
- Varied and satisfying encounters
- Great feel, rich decision making, and balanced ecosystem
- Engaging for thousands of hours of play
- Delightful for millions of players around the world
Details on Third Person
Under the Desired Qualifications heading, the first bullet point reads,
Direct experience across both third person action and MMO genres.
Riot Games
Although the camera perspective can change, this is a clear indication the Riot MMO will be third person. Furthermore, the post does not specify required experience in several camera perspective. In fact, it doesn’t even mention first person or isometric. Therefore, at the moment our best speculation on camera perspective is third person.
Job Post Reveals More
Riot MMO Will Probably Have PvP
In the job posting, it describes a Deep level of understanding in multiplayer PvE and PvP games is required. Now Greg Street already mentioned there is a high chance the Riot MMO will have PvP. This point further solidifies this possibility.
The challenge is even if I say we will have PvP (and we will), that can mean so many different things, from ganking, to epic battles, to looting, to dueling, to arenas, to even esports. So still probably not for everyone.
Greg Street
Teleportation, Mounts & Puzzles Revealed
Again, the Desired Qualifications heading was revealing. Riot is looking for a Lead Game developer with experience in “combat adjacent gameplay like traversal, vehicles, or puzzles“. Of course, this should not come to a surprise. It is industry standard for AAA MMORPGs to include transportation systems and puzzles. Nevertheless, it’s always great to have this… somewhat confirmed.
Group Dungeons & Raids
Riot Games is looking for a Lead Combat design that is experienced in developing “group based combat and cooperative play“. Within the confined of the MMORPG genre, these features are often, dungeons, raids, and team based PvP. Each of the affirmation include group based, cooperative play.
Not only that, the formed Executive Producer, Greg Street was confident the Riot MMO would have dungeons and raids.
Possible Cross Platform Reveal
It is possible the Riot MMO could be made available across other platforms besides PC. Admittedly, the notion is highly speculative. Nonetheless, the job posting asked for “experience across a variety of platforms like PC, console, and mobile.” Therefore, it’s within the realm of possibility this League MMO could be released on mobile and or console at some point. At the least, it could be a future consideration for the team.
Project L Possible Console Release
On top of that, Project L is rumored to have a console release. According to professional Street Fighter V competitor, it was mentioned at the Project L banquet that Project L is working alongside PlayStation to reduce input lag. For those who don’t know, Project L is Riot Games’ in development arcade fighting game set in the world of League of Legends. This, combined with Riot Games’ League of Legends mobile adaptation, Wild Rift, perhaps a scaled version of the Riot MMO could be ported to other platforms.
Valorant Upcoming Console Release
Furthermore, Valorant announced they will be bringing Valorant to console among several other update. This was initially announced on the VALORANT YouTube channel.
We are continuing our work on bringing Valorant to new platforms.
VALORANT Executive Producer, Anna Donlon
It seems Riot Games has been diligently working towards bringing their games to other platforms. Therefore, the Riot MMORPG could share the same fate.
How Does This Impact the Riot MMO
The Lead Game Designer plays a crucial role in an action combat MMORPG. With this job posting available, we can assume they are ready to iterate on the game development pipeline. Perhaps there are a few small towns or a rough city that has been established. One where the developers can build and test features within the world itself. As well, we can imagine the closed internal playtesting phases to begin within the next 6 months to year depending on how fast positions are filed, as eluded in the job post.
Overall, this is great news. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted on more Riot MMO news.