Riot Games appears to be developing a League of Legends action RPG in secret, 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 flagging familiarity with the League of Legends IP as a sought-after requirement. Neither listing formally identifies 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 comes as Riot continues expanding the franchise outside of 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 discovered on Riot’s careers page unveil intriguing details about the Shanghai studio’s mysterious undertaking. The Game Combat Designer role actively looks for someone with extensive knowledge of action games and ARPGs, with specific focus on crafting engaging combat experience, intuitive mechanics, and responsive artificial intelligence systems. This indicates Riot is building something mechanically sophisticated from the ground up, using Unreal Engine as the core technology. The job description shows the team is still in early stages, continuously refining core systems rather than refining an existing foundation.
Alongside the design position, Riot is recruiting a CG animator experienced 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 cohesive aesthetic for the action RPG. Whilst temporary positions at this developmental stage generally indicate projects remain years away from launch, the combination of these two positions suggests Riot has invested significant effort to investigating what an action-focused League experience might entail. The recruitment approach indicates the studio is assembling a dedicated, albeit small, core team to test and refine fundamental gameplay mechanics.
- Action Game Designer role concentrates on action-RPG systems development
- CG animator contributes stylised character animation expertise to project
- Early-stage R&D suggests considerable time remains before potential release
- Unreal Engine selected as primary development platform for title
Combat Design and Technical Specifications
What Job Postings Show
The Combat Game Designer posting offers valuable perspective into the project’s mechanical ambitions. Candidates need to show deep expertise in action games and ARPGs, with specific focus on creating engaging combat feel—a defining characteristic of acclaimed games in the genre. The role clearly demands building and iterating on combat systems from scratch using Unreal Engine, suggesting Riot plans to create something fundamentally distinct from League of Legends’ turn-based MOBA mechanics. The emphasis on AI development suggests the studio is building sophisticated enemy behaviour systems, possibly intended for single-player or co-operative experiences rather than purely competitive gameplay.
The technical requirements outlined in the listings illustrate a methodical, systems-focused production strategy. Candidates are expected to work within a compact, nascent team where individual contributions carry substantial weight. The emphasis on “combat feel” rather than merely mechanical balance suggests Riot places value on user experience and feedback—qualities essential to contemporary action role-playing games. This hiring strategy indicates the Shanghai studio is not rushing to production but rather dedicating resources to testing and refining fundamental gameplay mechanics before expanding operations further.
- Extensive knowledge in action and ARPG design mechanics required
- Combat sensation and player feedback prioritised over mechanical balance
- AI systems development points to potential single-player or co-op focus
- Unreal Engine selected as main technical development platform
- Early prototyping stage suggests years until market launch
Expanding the League of Legends Universe
Riot Games has long positioned League of Legends as the centrepiece of an extensive multimedia franchise, yet the company’s game development goals have historically centred on the original MOBA title itself. The announcement of a secret action RPG in production 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 mirrors successful franchises like The Elder Scrolls or Final Fantasy, where a flagship title coexists alongside spin-offs that venture into different play mechanics. By developing an ARPG based in Runeterra, Riot can tap into the deep storytelling and established character base whilst appealing to players who prefer solo or cooperative gameplay over competitive online play.
The pacing of these advancements is notably important given Riot’s extensive franchise growth plans. Alongside the action role-playing game project, the company has committed substantial resources in the long-in-development League of Legends MMO, recruiting Raymond Bartos from World of Warcraft to expedite the production process following a major overhaul in 2024. This parallel development path suggests Riot is working towards an ambitious vision for Runeterra’s digital ecosystem. Rather than directly competing with one another, these initiatives appear designed to serve different market segments—the MMO serving persistent-world enthusiasts whilst the ARPG caters to players looking for narrative-driven action experiences. Together, they constitute Riot’s boldest expansion of the League franchise past its MOBA foundations.
| 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 release window. The contract positions listed on the company’s careers page point to the project remains in early-stage research and development, indicating it could be several years away from launch. Industry observers versed in game development cycles point out that hiring for foundational roles such as Combat Game Designer generally indicates the early phases of production rather than an upcoming release. This measured pace allows Riot to establish robust combat mechanics and gameplay systems before expanding the team further, a practical strategy given the demanding market of action RPGs.
The Shanghai studio’s participation in this initiative reflects Riot’s global development infrastructure and the studio’s demonstrated proficiency in crafting engaging gameplay experiences. By situating the ARPG project at this facility rather than concentrating resources at a single headquarters, Riot demonstrates its commitment to distributed development practices that have generated favourable results across its range of titles. The company’s history with League of Legends suggests audiences should anticipate a refined, well-designed experience whenever the ARPG ultimately launches. However, with the MMO also requiring substantial investment and focus, the ARPG could not launch until 2027 or afterwards, contingent upon development milestones and the company’s strategic priorities.
What Participants Should Anticipate
Should the ARPG achieve completion, players can expect a single-player or co-operative action experience placed in the expansive universe of Runeterra, leveraging the world’s existing lore and fan-favourite champions. The focus on stylised character work and gameplay feel suggests Riot intends to provide visceral, skill-based gameplay rather than a straightforward dungeon crawler. Fans of story-focused action titles and those looking for a fresh approach of League engagement may consider the ARPG especially compelling, providing an departure from the competitive online multiplayer focus that has characterised the franchise since its inception.
