2019 has been a huge year for Riot Games. Their 10th anniversary bought with it a wave of exciting announcements. From new games like Legends of Runeterra, to a Louis Vuitton partnership, new heroes, and another virtual band. Now, they’ve revealed Riot Forge, a publishing initiative aimed at expanding the League of Legends universe by partnering with proven third-party developers on a diverse range of games.

Forge a new path with Riot Forge.

Riot Forge is the first initiative of its kind for Riot Games. Leanne Loombe, the Head of Riot Forge, is excited to work with passionate developers:

We are humbled by our partner developers who are so passionate to work on games set in the LoL IP, which offers limitless potential with its expansive world and deep champion pool. We are sincerely committed to our developers’ long term success and together we aim to deliver great experiences for players of all types.

This creates a huge opportunity to build on the League of Legends community. Riot Forge will focus on developing games with conclusions, as opposed to the “live service” titles Riot is known for. The goal is to serve players who want to engage with the League of Legends universe in different genres and on various platforms. We’ve already seen Riot branch out into turn-based strategy with Team Fight Tactics, and card games in Legends of Runeterra. Riot Forge is another step in opening up to the broader gaming community.

Third-Party Developers

Riot Forge will partner closely with developers to provide support as they craft new League of Legends titles with their own sensibilities and style.

Greg Street, the VP of IP and Entertainment at Riot Games sees Riot Forge as a way to draw on some of the best developer talent in the world:

We are always looking for new ways to bring the World of Runeterra and its champions to new and existing audiences around the world. There are so many talented game studios around the world that have exceptional experience and craft skills in all areas of game development, and we are really excited to work together to bring the LoL IP to new game experiences.

We, too, are excited to see what Riot Forge will produce.

This announcement comes at a time when some publishers have started opening their games to the broader community, as with Epic Games releasing Fortnite Creative. Community development has long been a part of the gaming industry through mods. It’s cool to see it now making a comeback in some of the world’s top esports titles.

Keep an eye out here on Daily Esports as we bring you updates and news on Riot Forge. Tell us how you want to see the League of Legends Universe grow.