Riots' Head of Creative Development Gives Us an Explanation
League MMO Announcement: Why Was it so Strange?
Riot Games' upcoming MMO was first announced in 2020 on Twitter through a hiring announcement by Riots' Head of Creative Development, Greg Street. With everything we know about the LoL MMORPG so far, many still wonder: why did Riot decide to announce their MMO the way they did?
Already in December 2020, Greg Street informed us on Twitter that he has been working on creating a League universe and that they are now hiring. It wasn't before someone asked in the comments that Greg publicly declared they were working on an MMO. How they decided to announce the game is very different from how it usually goes. Most of the time, we are either spoiled with big flashy trailers or at least more general information about the game. This time, we received the announcement in a Twitter comment. Because of this, many have asked Riot why they decided to announce their game in such a weird way. Finally, on August 1st, Greg Street came out with an explanation. So let's look at it.
League MMO Announcement Was a Hiring Strategy
Greg Street explained on his Twitter that there actually was a strategy behind the announcement. When they came out with the news of the new League MMO, they were in such an early stage of the game creation and still needed to recruit more people. Being one of World of Warcraft's developers, Greg gained a respectable image in the MMO community, and announcing the game on his Twitter account would be a method to reach out to other MMO veterans.
Usually, when companies come out with new game ideas, developers are often at risk of their idea being copied by other companies. In this case, Riot felt like this wasn't a concern because, as Greg explained: "Everyone knows more or less knows how to make one. The challenge is actually doing so, and the massive cost and time it takes.". In other words, the game idea isn't new, it is just that companies have to be ready to invest a lot of resources to make it work.
Why Was the Announcement Low-Key?
The reason for the low-key announcement is another story. When big games are announced to the mainstream, developers often receive a lot of pressure from players. Greg explained that this could lead to the game creators being stuck on ideas that aren't working and being reluctant to throw them out. This is why the Riot team wanted to ensure they only reached actual MMO fans before going big.
At the end of his Twitter statement, Greg explains that he is very proud of what the game creators have accomplished so far and believes they are creating something special. At this point, we are still not sure when the game will be released, but I am, for one, very excited to explore the world of Runterra once it finally comes out!
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