Riot Games has confirmed a significant update is planned for League Of Legends, with gameplay changes and a visual overhaul.
The popularity of League Of Legends might be largely hidden from mainstream gaming, but the franchise at large has made a lot of effort to extend its reach over the past few years.
Netflix’s animated show Arcane, set within the League Of Legends universe, proved to be a big crossover hit. There have also been several spin-off games too, from Teamfight Tactics and Legends Of Runeterra to new 2v2 fighter 2XKO.
After all these pushes to extend the franchise, Riot is now planning to refresh the original game itself, in what’s described as the ‘next phase’ for League Of Legends.
This news was first reported by Bloomberg, who claimed a refreshed version of the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game, internally titled ‘League Next’, was planned for 2027. In the report, which cites five current and former employees, it was described as ‘the biggest update in the title’s history’.
Following the report, Riot Games published a video confirming the update early, in light of the speculation, with the announcement originally planned as part of a developer update in January.
In the video, the game’s executive producer, Paul Bellezza, reiterated that there’s no plans for a sequel. ‘We’re often asked if we’re going to make League Of Legends 2 someday,’ he said. ‘And the answer to that has been, and remains, no.’
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What’s planned instead is a ‘bigger update’ for League Of Legends. As outlined by League Studio boss, Andrei van Roon, this includes a brand new ‘around-game client that’s fully integrated with the in-game experience’ (similar to Valorant), a visual overhaul and ‘gameplay changes’ on the main Summoner’s Rift map, alterations to Runes and pre-game systems, along with improvements to the general player experience.
‘This work is part of our efforts to refocus on what we believe matters most to you,’ Roon posted on X. ‘Over the past year, we hope you’ve been feeling this in the changes we’ve been making. This next phase builds on that momentum – and lays the groundwork for League’s next era.
‘We’ll share some more details with you next year sometime between MSI [Mid-Season Invitational] and Worlds, including approximately when in 2027 we’re aiming to have these updates land.’
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While Riot hasn’t released any footage from this planned overhaul, a rework certainly feels overdue, considering the original game launched back in 2009. The company has rolled out new characters and gameplay adjustments consistently since then, but it’s never updated the visuals in any significant way.
Riot may have ruled out a sequel, but this update does bring to mind Blizzard’s transition from Overwatch to Overwatch 2 – a sequel which replaced the original game, with modern visuals, new game modes, and other adjustments.
It’s unclear if this update to League Of Legends will be quite as notable, but the promised ‘gameplay changes’ might spark some concern amongst diehard players.
According to the original Bloomberg article, this update is being released to entice new players, amid declining interest. It’s claimed Riot’s other big competitive game, Valorant, ‘makes more money’ in comparison.
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