After a while, these early choices began to create unexpected problems. Every new champion needed a reason to join and remain in the League, and as their number grew, the net result was that over time the world started to feel, well, small, and eventually less interesting. The institutions we’d designed fostered creative stagnation, limiting the ways that champions, factions and Runeterra itself could grow and change. Furthermore, the very idea of all-powerful Summoners made Champions little more than puppets manipulated by godlike powers. The background we’d created to explain in-game action was ultimately restricting the potential narrative development of the game’s defining characters.
Exploring Runeterra, High Council of Equity, the League of Legends.
Legacy of the Reign of Chaos
Pre-History of the League of Legends (2003 – 2014)
League of Legends has a long and storied ancestry: Launched by Riot Games as a spiritual successor to DotA (2003) which was a fan-developed mod for Blizzard‘s WC3 which kickstarted the MOBA gaming genre.
Guinsoo created DotA: Allstars from the original DotA, created by Eul. Guinsoo then passed DotA: Allstars on to its current developer, Icefrog. Pendragon, who is the Director of Community Relations for Riot Games, helped create the DotA: Allstars website along with its forums, and is still currently working on DotA: Allstars alongside League of Legends.
In 2009, Valve acquired the IP rights to DotA, which they used in developing Dota 2 launched in July 2013; (DotA’s curator, icefrog, came to work on Dota 2.)
In 2012, Blizzard and Valve settled their dispute, with Valve retaining the commercial franchising rights to the term Dota, while Blizzard would change the name of their SC2 mod, Blizzard DOTA to Blizzard All-Stars (referencing DotA Allstars (whose domain was sold to Riot Games)), which would eventually become the stand-alone game, Heroes of the Storm.
Warcraft III: Reforged, the remastered edition of the 2002 WC3, was released on January 28, 2020… and with it, a Custom Game Acceptable Use Policy, whose first line states: Ownership Custom Games are and shall remain the sole and exclusive property of Blizzard. Forever closing the chapter on the origins of the genre.
Honourable mention: HoN (2010) which was compared alongside the two MOBA giants in its heyday, will have its servers would be discontinued on June 20, 2022.
Years after a franchise debut, and in an effort to stand on its own two feet, they may choose to reboot the entire franchise; keeping and discarding parts that don’t work with their plans moving forward. E.g. Star Wars turning their Expanded Universe into mere Legends, DC Comics’ never-ending series of crises, Magic: the Gathering’s the Mending, etc.
Multimedia & Multiverse
- 2014
- The lore was adjusted, and a new timeline of Runeterra was established.
- 2019
- Literature: League of Legends universe now has a lore book: League of Legends: Realms of Runeterra (Official Companion), and collaborated with Marvel comics…
Ashe – Warmother
(2018 – 2019)
Lux (2019)
Zed (2019 – 2020)
Riot Games calls the lore for in-game skins Alternate Universes, which would mean that the League of Legends is a common trait across their multiverse! Other notable universes include a sci-fi spacefaring world (Odyssey), and a 魔法少女 world (Star Guardian).
| Project | Released |
|---|---|
| Teamfight Tactics on Mobile | March 2020 |
| Legends of Runeterra Card Game | April 2020 |
| Hero Shooter, Project A = VALORANT | June 2020 |
| Social Game, Project F | WIP |
| Fighting Game, Project L | WIP |
| Arcane: League of Legends | Nov 6 – 20, 2021 |
ARCANE
The award-winning Netflix original, Arcane, was an animated origin story to some of the most popular characters in the League of Legends lore.
| Publisher | Game | Crossover |
|---|---|---|
| Riot Games | League of Legends | Free Arcane skins for Jayce, Vi, Caitlyn, and Jinx inspired by the show; Arcane Capsules: Hextech and Chemtech. |
| Riot Games | Wild Rift | A Single Tear Emote, free Arcane Jinx and Vi skins inspired by Arcane, Jinx vs Vi, Jayce and Caitlyn. |
| Riot Games | Teamfight Tactics | Gizmos & Gadgets Little Legends Egg, and Arcane-themed Tacticians. |
| Riot Games | Legends of Runeterra | Fascinating Emote, the release of a new permanent PvE mode, The Path of Champions, Jayce, thematic support cards from Piltover & Zaun. |
| Riot Games | VALORANT | Fishbones Gun Buddy, Free in-game Collectible Items, in-game Arcane Collector’s Set, and Chamber. |
| Tencent Games | PUBG MOBILE | Runeterra Enters PUBG MOBILE to Celebrate RiotX Arcane. |
| Epic Games | Fortnite | Fortnite Gets Jinxed to Celebrate Arcane. |
| Innersloth | Among Us | Call an Emergency Meeting – Arcane is Coming to Among Us. |
| Wizards of the Coast | Magic: the Gathering | Lands ho! Arcane is Joining Magic: The Gathering. |
Riot Tabletop
Riot Games’ new tabletop gaming division has released Tellstones: King’s Gambit, a bluffing game with perfect information for 2 or 4 players. It’s also an in-universe game from Runeterra (Demacia)… this isn’t their first tabletop game, as they’ve previously released Mechs vs. Minions in 2016.
Riot Forge
Launched in 2019, Riot Forge is a publishing label within Riot Games, that will be publishing spin-off games based on League of Legends lore developed by third-party studios.
| Game | Released |
|---|---|
| Hextech Mayhem | Nov 2021 |
| Ruined King | Nov 2021 |
| CONV/RGENCE | 2022 |
| Song of Nunu | 2022 |
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