Information on the game's features is currently limited, although it reportedly has a "persistentsandbox world" with "innovative gameplay concepts" and action RPG elements.[6][7] Greg Street also stated that a pay-to-play or subscription model would be very unlikely, noting that such an approach would not align with Riot's typical business model.[8]
In early 2024, Riot Games co-founder and chief product officer Marc Merrill (known as Tryndamere) announced that the direction of the project had been reset "some time ago", stating that the previous version was too similar to existing MMORPGs and that the team would enter a period of limited public communication.[9] Merrill also stated on a Twitch livestream that the company still aims to release the game before 2030.[10]
Development
Prior to the major reset
Early research and development on a League of Legends MMO began as early as 2016.[11] On December 17, 2020, Greg Street (former lead systems designer on World of Warcraft), announced that Riot was making an MMO set in the League of Legends universe.[12] This was followed by several posts on social media by other Riot employees announcing that they were searching for "MMO veterans" to join the team. In the months following the announcement, Riot provided limited public updates regarding the project.[13]
In March 2023, Greg Street announced his departure from Riot, citing both personal and professional reasons, and stated that the project would continue under new leadership.[14] Vijay Thakkar replaced Greg Street as the executive producer on the MMO until 2024.
In early 2024, Riot confirmed that development of the MMO had undergone a significant reset. According to Marc Merrill, the decision was made because the existing version of the game was too similar to other MMORPGs on the market.[15] The company stated that it did not want to produce a game that mostly copied World of Warcraft with a Runeterra "coat of paint", and instead chose to restart development to pursue a more distinct direction. Merrill stated that Riot aims to create something that is "a significant evolution of the genre".[13] This announcement was accompanied by news that Fabrice Condominas (known as Faburisu) would act as the new executive producer on the MMO. Following the reset, Merrill stated that the project would "go dark", entering a period of limited public communication for several years, and reassured fans that "no news is good news."[16]
After the major reset
In January 2026, Raymond Bartos (known as GoodGuyRay), a former lead producer on World of Warcraft, announced that he was joining the Runeterra MMO team as a senior game producer.[7]
Riot later confirmed that it had previously explored the possibility of investing in or acquiring Intrepid Studios, the developer of Ashes of Creation (another MMO that was in development at the time), but ultimately chose not to proceed with a deal.[17]
Current state
The game is currently in active development, with Fabrice Condominas serving as the executive producer under overarching supervision by Marc Merrill, who is "heavily involved in the new direction",[18] and said that Riot is "more committed than ever" to developing its MMO.[19] The project remains without an official title or release date, although some commentators have speculated that "World of Runeterra" may be a working title for the game, as the domain "worldofruneterra.com" redirects to Riot's recruiting page for the MMO. No gameplay footage, screenshots, trailers, or MMO-exclusive artwork have been officially released or leaked to the public as of April 2026.[20]
Reception and anticipation
Despite the lack of publicly released gameplay material, the project has attracted significant attention due to the popularity of the League of Legends IP and Riot's involvement.[16] It is frequently cited among the most anticipated upcoming MMORPGs.[18][21]