Riot Games seems 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—indicate an early-stage project is coming together, with both roles highlighting familiarity with the League of Legends IP as a sought-after requirement. Neither listing officially names the project, but the emphasis on action gameplay mechanics and Runeterra expertise clearly suggests the title will be situated in the League universe. The discovery comes as Riot keeps broadening 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 Secret Project Comes to Light
The two contract listings found on Riot’s jobs page reveal tantalising details about the Shanghai-based studio’s secret project. The Game Combat Designer role specifically seeks someone with deep expertise of action games and ARPGs, with particular emphasis on crafting engaging combat experience, responsive controls, and responsive artificial intelligence systems. This indicates Riot is developing something mechanically sophisticated from the ground up, utilising Unreal Engine as the development platform. The posting indicates the team is still in early stages, actively iterating on core systems rather than polishing an existing foundation.
Alongside the design position, Riot is hiring 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’ distinctive art style, this animator would probably help create a unified visual approach for the action RPG. Whilst temporary positions at this developmental stage generally indicate projects remain some distance from launch, the combination of these two positions suggests Riot has invested significant effort to exploring what an action-focused League experience might entail. The recruitment approach indicates the studio is assembling a focused though modest, core team to prototype and validate 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 suggests years remain before potential release
- Unreal Engine chosen as primary development platform for title
Combat Mechanics and Technical Requirements
What Job Postings Show
The Combat Game Designer job listing offers crucial insight into the project’s mechanical ambitions. Candidates need to show deep expertise in action games and ARPGs, with specific focus on crafting satisfying combat feel—a defining characteristic of acclaimed games in the genre. The role explicitly requires developing and refining on combat mechanics from scratch using Unreal Engine, suggesting Riot plans to create something distinctly different from League of Legends’ turn-based MOBA mechanics. The focus on AI development suggests the studio is designing advanced enemy AI systems, possibly intended for single-player and co-operative experiences rather than exclusively competitive gameplay.
The technical requirements outlined in the listings reveal a systematic, process-driven development approach. Candidates are expected to work within a compact, nascent team where individual contributions hold significant importance. The emphasis on “combat feel” rather than simply mechanical balance suggests Riot prioritises player sensation and responsiveness—qualities essential to contemporary action role-playing games. This hiring strategy indicates the Shanghai studio is avoiding hasty moves toward production but rather dedicating resources to prototyping and validating core gameplay loops before expanding operations further.
- Strong proficiency in action and ARPG design mechanics needed
- Combat sensation and player responsiveness prioritised over balance mechanics
- Development of AI systems suggests likely single-player or co-op focus
- Unreal chosen as primary technical development platform
- Early-stage prototyping stage indicates years until commercial release
Expanding the League of Legends Universe
Riot Games has consistently positioned League of Legends as the centrepiece of an sprawling multimedia franchise, yet the company’s gaming ambitions have conventionally centred on the original MOBA title itself. The announcement of a undisclosed action RPG project in production marks a major pivot in strategy, suggesting Riot intends to diversify its game catalogue across different gameplay styles 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 explore different gaming experiences. By developing an ARPG situated in Runeterra, Riot can capitalise on the deep storytelling and established character base whilst reaching players who prefer single-player or co-operative experiences over competitive online play.
The timing of these developments is particularly noteworthy given Riot’s broader franchise expansion efforts. Alongside the action role-playing game project, the company has invested heavily in the long-gestating League of Legends MMO, bringing on Raymond Bartos from World of Warcraft to expedite the production process following a major overhaul in 2024. This dual-track approach suggests Riot is working towards an ambitious vision for Runeterra’s digital ecosystem. Rather than directly competing with one another, these projects appear designed to serve different player demographics—the MMO catering to persistent-world enthusiasts whilst the ARPG serves players looking for story-driven, action-focused adventures. Together, they embody Riot’s most ambitious growth 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 vacancy announcements reveal tantalising evidence of the ARPG’s existence, Riot Games has preserved absolute silence concerning an official announcement or release window. The contract positions posted to the company’s careers page point to the project continues in foundational development stages, suggesting it could be a considerable time from launch. Industry observers versed in game development cycles observe that hiring for foundational roles such as Combat Game Designer commonly represents the early phases of production rather than an near-term launch. This deliberate approach allows Riot to create solid combat mechanics and gameplay systems prior to scaling the team further, a practical strategy given the competitive landscape of action RPGs.
The Shanghai studio’s participation in this endeavour reflects Riot’s global development infrastructure and the studio’s established track record in crafting engaging gameplay experiences. By situating the ARPG project at this site rather than centralising operations at a sole headquarters, Riot demonstrates its commitment to distributed development practices that have yielded positive results across its range of titles. The company’s history with League of Legends suggests players can expect a polished, mechanically sound experience whenever the ARPG eventually emerges. However, with the MMO also demanding significant resources and attention, the ARPG may not materialise until 2027 or beyond, depending on completion targets and the company’s strategic priorities.
What Gamers Should Be Prepared For
Should the ARPG achieve completion, players can anticipate a single-player or co-operative action experience placed in the expansive universe of Runeterra, leveraging the universe’s established lore and fan-favourite champions. The spotlight on stylised character work and combat feel suggests Riot aims to deliver intense, mechanically demanding gameplay rather than a standard dungeon crawler. Fans of narrative-driven action titles and those looking for a fresh approach of League engagement may consider the ARPG particularly appealing, offering an departure from the pvp-focused focus that has characterised the franchise from its launch.
