Many believe that Riot Games may be shutting down one of their biggest mobile games, Legends of Runeterra, soon. We'll take a look at what's been said and what you can expect from the game in the future.
Since its launch in 2020, Legends of Runeterra has become a wildly popular collectible card title based on the League of Legends universe. The mobile game has seen regular expansion releases that have kept the game alive and the community engaged.
Legends of Runeterra was believed to be a game for the future, with the developers ambitiously announcing that they had a five-year plan for the game in 2021.
Despite this, recent news has caused many in the community to question if they will still see the game up and running in the near future.
Will Riot Shut Down Legends Of Runeterra?
Let's answer this question by starting with the announcement that prompted it. In January 2024, Riot made an important update where they shared their decision to reduce their team size by 530 roles globally, accounting for around 11% of their workforce.
Unfortunately, this move will have an impact on the overall health of Legends of Runeterra from an organizational point of view and raised concerns about a potential shutdown.
Executive Producer and Game Director of Legends of Runeterra, Dave Guskin, published an open letter describing the state of the game. In it, he states that LoR is an incredible game that has cultivated a great community, but it has sadly struggled as a business.
A message from Legends of Runeterra's Executive Producer and Game Director regarding recent company changes and the future of LoR. https://t.co/hDzeAPtS9y pic.twitter.com/CajPXY5jUC
— Legends of Runeterra (@PlayRuneterra) January 22, 2024
Guskin states that several changes need to take place within the Legends of Runeterra team to align themselves more with Riot's overall roadmap for the future. Unfortunately, this means reducing the "size and scope of LoR to a team that is focused on sustainably making the game you love."
To achieve this, the game will shift its focus on what makes the game enjoyable for players. For starters, this means centering the Path of Champions as "the core of the business" because it is such a popular game mode. This and other future changes will make Legends of Runeterra more sustainable – which is the ultimate goal for the game at the moment.
Guskin further states that there is still much to look forward to in Legends of Runeterra as they are exploring new ways to excite players. He renewed the team's commitment to ensuring that the game is around for years to come.
In short, Legends of Runeterra will not be shutting down in 2024, or anytime soon for that matter. Rather, the game's development team will need to take a step back for now and reassess the game. This may lead to a reduction in new content, but there will be a greater emphasis on improving popular modes such as the Path of Champions and more.
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