Riot Games appears to be developing a League of Legends action RPG behind closed doors, according to newly discovered job listings posted to the company’s careers page. Two contract positions at Riot’s Shanghai studio—one for a Combat Game Designer and another for a CG animator—suggest an early-stage project is taking shape, with both roles highlighting familiarity with the League of Legends IP as a desirable qualification. Neither listing officially names the project, but the emphasis on action gameplay mechanics and Runeterra expertise clearly suggests the title will be set within the League universe. The discovery arrives as Riot continues expanding the franchise beyond its original MOBA roots, having recently recruited Raymond Bartos, a former World of Warcraft lead producer, to oversee its long-delayed League MMO.
Shanghai Studio’s Confidential Initiative Comes to Light
The two contract postings found on Riot’s jobs page unveil tantalising details about the Shanghai studio’s secret project. The Combat Game Designer role actively looks for someone with deep expertise of action games and action RPGs, with specific focus on crafting engaging combat experience, responsive controls, and responsive artificial intelligence systems. This suggests Riot is building something mechanically sophisticated from scratch, utilising Unreal Engine as the core technology. The job description indicates the team is still in initial phases, actively iterating on core systems rather than polishing an established base.
Alongside the design position, Riot is recruiting a CG animator with expertise in stylised character work—a recruitment decision that hints at the visual direction the project may take. Given League of Legends’ unique visual aesthetic, this animator would likely help establish a unified visual approach for the action RPG. Whilst temporary positions at this early phase generally indicate projects remain some distance from launch, the combination of these two positions suggests Riot has committed meaningful resources to exploring what an action-focused League experience might entail. The hiring strategy indicates the studio is assembling a focused though modest, core team to test and refine fundamental gameplay mechanics.
- Action Game Designer role concentrates on action-RPG systems development
- CG animator contributes stylized character animation knowledge to project
- Initial research and development indicates considerable time remains before potential release
- Unreal Engine chosen as main development platform for title
Combat Design and Technical Requirements
What the Vacancies Indicate
The Combat Game Designer posting provides crucial insight into the project’s mechanical ambitions. Candidates need to show extensive knowledge in action games and ARPGs, with particular emphasis on creating engaging combat feel—a defining characteristic of acclaimed games in the genre. The role explicitly requires building and iterating on combat mechanics from scratch using Unreal Engine, indicating Riot plans to create something distinctly different from League of Legends’ turn-based MOBA mechanics. The focus on AI development indicates the studio is designing advanced enemy AI systems, potentially for single-player or co-operative experiences rather than purely competitive gameplay.
The specification details presented within the listings paint a picture of a systematic, process-driven development approach. Candidates are expected to work within a small, early-stage team where individual contributions carry substantial weight. The emphasis on “combat feel” rather than merely mechanical balance suggests Riot prioritises user experience and feedback—qualities essential to modern action RPGs. This recruitment approach indicates the Shanghai studio is avoiding hasty moves toward production but rather investing time in prototyping and validating core gameplay loops before scaling the project further.
- Strong proficiency in action and ARPG design mechanics needed
- Combat feel and player responsiveness emphasised over balance mechanics
- AI systems development points to potential single-player or cooperative emphasis
- Unreal selected as primary technical development platform
- Early prototyping phase suggests considerable time until market launch
Growing the League of Legends Universe
Riot Games has traditionally positioned League of Legends as the cornerstone of an extensive multimedia franchise, yet the company’s game development goals have conventionally centred on the original MOBA title itself. The announcement of a undisclosed action RPG project in development marks a major pivot in strategy, suggesting Riot intends to diversify its game catalogue across multiple genres rather than depending exclusively on League’s esports infrastructure. This approach reflects successful franchises like The Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy, where a flagship title coexists alongside supplementary titles that venture into different play mechanics. By developing an ARPG set within Runeterra, Riot can leverage the deep storytelling and established character base whilst appealing to players who prefer single-player or co-operative experiences over competitive online play.
The timing of these developments is particularly noteworthy given Riot’s extensive franchise growth plans. Alongside the action RPG initiative, the company has invested heavily in the long-in-development League of Legends MMO, recruiting Raymond Bartos from World of Warcraft to speed up development following a significant reset in 2024. This dual-track approach suggests Riot is working towards an ambitious vision for Runeterra’s gaming environment. Rather than directly competing with one another, these projects appear created to address different market segments—the MMO serving persistent-world enthusiasts whilst the ARPG appeals to players pursuing compelling story-based action gameplay. Together, they represent Riot’s most ambitious growth of the League franchise beyond its MOBA origins.
| Project Type | Current Status |
|---|---|
| League of Legends ARPG | Early-stage R&D at Shanghai studio |
| League of Legends MMO | Active production with new leadership |
| Original League of Legends MOBA | Ongoing development and seasonal updates |
| Runeterra IP Expansion | Multiple projects across different genres |
Project Timeline and Outlook
Whilst the position listings reveal tantalising evidence of the ARPG’s existence, Riot Games has preserved absolute silence about an formal reveal or launch timeframe. The contract positions listed on the company’s careers page suggest the project remains in early-stage research and development, indicating it could be a considerable time from launch. Industry observers familiar with game development cycles observe that hiring for essential positions such as Combat Game Designer commonly represents the beginning stages of production rather than an near-term launch. This measured pace allows Riot to establish robust combat mechanics and gameplay systems before expanding the team further, a sound method given the demanding market of action RPGs.
The Shanghai studio’s participation in this project reflects Riot’s worldwide development capabilities and the studio’s established track record in creating compelling interactive experiences. By positioning the ARPG project at this site rather than concentrating resources at a unified central hub, Riot illustrates its dedication to decentralised development approaches that have generated favourable results across its product lineup. The company’s history with League of Legends suggests gamers will receive a refined, well-designed experience whenever the ARPG eventually emerges. However, with the MMO also requiring substantial investment and focus, the ARPG could not launch until 2027 or beyond, depending on development milestones and Riot’s resource allocation decisions.
What Gamers Should Be Prepared For
Should the ARPG achieve completion, players can anticipate a solo or multiplayer cooperative action experience placed in the expansive universe of Runeterra, drawing upon the world’s existing lore and fan-favourite champions. The emphasis on visual character craftsmanship and combat mechanics suggests Riot aims to deliver intense, mechanically demanding gameplay rather than a standard dungeon crawler. Fans of character-rich action titles and those pursuing a fresh approach of League engagement may consider the ARPG especially compelling, offering an contrast with the competitive online multiplayer focus that has shaped the franchise since its inception.
