Is Riot Games Making a Turn Based 4x Game?

Table of Contents

What is a 4x Game?
It Riot Games Developing a Strategy Game?
Is Riot Games Even Making a New Game?
Where Does the Riot 4x Game Come into Play?
- 4 Surveys About Possible Riot Games
What Would a Riot Games 4x Game Look Like?
Riot Games Strategy Game Alternatives
The 4x Strategy Could Have Simply Been a Riot Forge Deal
You May Also Be Interested In
See All Riot MMO Pages
- Riot MMO Pages
- Riot MMO Posts

What is a 4x Game?

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

A 4x is a sub-genre of strategy game. You’ve likely seen one or even played one before. Typically, the player is tasked with expanding an empire via resource manipulation. Common resources include, agriculture, livestock, water, manpower, land, and more. It is widely understood 4x stands for, Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate. Gameplay can be presented in real time or as turn-based.

Lastly, there is a sub-genre of 4x games called, 4x grand strategy.

Civilization 4, a popular 4x game — Civilization IV, Gamespot

What is a 4x grand strategy game?

A 4x grand strategy is a sub-genre of a 4x strategy. The grand strategy alternatives involve careful planning and execution. In addition, grand strategy 4x games have players choose from pre-determined maps. Whereas the more tactical, non-grand strategy 4x games often have you build a city from scratch.

To learn more, check out the r/4xgaming subreddit and their resource links.

It Riot Games Developing a Strategy Game?

On January 26th, 2024, content creator Oheyspun shared on screenshot over Twitter of a Riot Games employee’s LinkedIn experience summary. We’ve intentionally omitted the employee’s name for privacy purposes.

Importantly, we cannot say with certainty Riot Games is working on a turn based strategy game. Furthermore, the first sentence reads:

Developed core combat and gameplay systems in a turn-based strategy context.
Riot Games Employee

The word context is important because it opens up the possibility for the development of a turn-based element within a non-turn based game. Ultimately, the sentence is ambiguous and is up for interpretation. All of course are speculative at best.

Is Riot Games Even Making a New Game?

There is another reason why we are entertaining the thought of yet another Riot Games R&D (research and development) project.

In late 2023, we shared an article about a possible fifth R&D being cooked up by Riot. In our article we explain how Alan Moore holds a position as an Executive Producer and Senior Director for an unannounced R&D project. The interesting bit is, all other positions similar to Alan’s for known R&D projects have all been accounted for.

Therefore, Alan Moore is the executive producer and senior director for an R&D project that the public does not know about. Could Alan Moore be heading an unannounced turn-based strategy game?

Where Does the Riot 4x Game Come into Play?

In October 2020, Twitter used @Celeress posted a few screenshots of surveys within the League of Legends client.

YES PLS pic.twitter.com/X944f8vnQ3
— cel (@Celeress) October 8, 2020

4 Surveys About Possible Riot Games

From the images shared by Celeress, we can see there were at least four products Riot Games had in mind. Their intent was to gauge interest to see which game would be most popular.

Select players were asked if they would be interested in purchasing a multiplayer 4x grand strategy game. It proposed a game set in Runeterra and feature the League of Legends factions.

You have the ability to construct fortifications, manage an economy, and direct armies.
Riot Games

Inside the League of Legends client, a survey asked players if they would like to buy a single-player turn-based RPG featuring the League of Legends characters.

You will have the ability to control a party, explore beautiful regions an dungeons, and save a city from destruction.
Riot Games

Keep in mind, this type of game has already released. See Ruined King: A League of Legends Story.

A popup appeared for some people while in the League of Legends client. Riot Games asked if players would be interested in buying a social deduction game similar to Among Us. In this possible game, League of Legends characters and locations would be in the game.

You have the ability to work as a team to solve mysteries, deceive other players, and explore unique locations.
Riot Games

Finally, there was a survey in which Riot Games asked League of Legends players if they would be interested in buying a 2D action platformer which would include League of Legends characters.

You will have the ability to manipulate time, create unique combat strategies, and explore the map by parkouring.
Riot Games

Once again, this description perfectly describes CONVERGENCE, a game published by Riot Forge.

What Would a Riot Games 4x Game Look Like?

We’re steering away from the turn-based strategy game because this could have very well been in regards to the turn-based game, Ruined King.

One can imagine imagine what a Riot Games 4x game set in the League of Legends universe could like look. You can examine the example provided by Riot Games. Namely, Civilization V and Stellaris.

A Riot Games 4x grand strategy game could have us choose to build a piece of land in a region of our choice. Perhaps players could decide to build an establishment in Shurima, Demacia, or even Ionia. Each of these zones provided an incredibly unique set of characteristics.

Moreover, it wouldn’t be surprising if there would be a linear story included with each region. Based on Runeterra, much of the history and stories have already been publicly established. As well, each other the other Riot Forge games have provided further development to the existing story of Runeterra.

Lastly, the level of detail for a 4x game already exists in the world of Runeterra. Specifically, the tribes, armies, factions, leaders and more have already been created. Not only that, but the stories and characters just keep expanding. Think, Arcane, Mageseeker, and more.

Riot Games Strategy Game Alternatives

All of this speculation could be leading us elsewhere. Let’s take a step back and take a look at the original LinkedIn screenshot again.

Developed core combat and gameplay systems in a turn-based strategy context.

Helped establish principals by which other work on game systems would blend holistically with the game’s overall tone…
Riot Games Employee

The bolded section in the second sentence (other work on game systems would blend holistically with the game’s overall tone) implies the turn-based strategy context is a component within a larger game.

Promo image of the Riot MMO Discord invite

With this in mind, some of the members in TheRiotMMO Discord server compiled a few ideas. These ideas could pertain to the RiotMMO, Project F, Project T, or unreleased Riot Forge Games:

Minigames (ie: Triple Triad or Verminion from Final Fantasy)
Programming NPC turn-based actions (humans fighting kobolds in the background)

While a 4x grand strategy game would be exciting, we believe developing core combat and gameplay systems in turn-based refers to development within one of the known R&D projects Riot Games is currently developing.

The 4x Strategy Could Have Simply Been a Riot Forge Deal

Another sobering possibility is, the LinkedIn summary is not connected to these surveys. In addition, the surveys shown could have been specifically referring to Riot Forge games. Not only that, on January 22, 2024, Riot Games announced that Riot Forge will no longer be creating games, after the release of Bandle Tale, unless a particularly enticing opportunity is discovered.