Wild Rift dev explains why touch controls will not be coming to the game

The control system is an alternative to the current dual stick layout.

Image via Riot Games

If you have been holding out for touch controls in League of Legends: Wild Rift–the feature likely won’t be coming to the game.

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During a Q&A with Wild Rift lead designer Feral Pony, he was asked if they had any plans to introduce the feature. The answer was a stern no, however.

“Sadly no, we’ll continue to improve and work on controls,” Feral Pony said. “While I get that some people prefer that method, but we believe twin-stick is the better system.”

The touch control system came to popularity in the mobile MOBA space when introduced by Vainglory. Many players believed this system of casting attacks, while more difficult to master, offers more accuracy and options to chain abilities together.

For Wild Rift, it appears that the game’s engine is not currently built for such controls. Feral Pony explained that to implement them would mean rebuilding large portions of the game as well as altering champions.

“Additionally it causes some really problematic long-term balance implications where some champions are only ‘viable’ under a given control scheme,” Feral Pony said.

The design lead also shared that developers who worked on Vainglory that currently working on Wild Rift. According to these staffers, implementing multiple control schemes caused a slew of problems.

Along this sad confirmation for fans of touch controls, Wild Pony also spoke about a range of other Wild Rift-related topics and features. You can check out the full Q&A here.  

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Ryan Galloway
Ryan is a Senior Staff Writer for Dot Esports who has been working at GAMURS since 2020. He covers a wide variety of titles from across the gaming space, with a focus on Pokémon. He boasts a degree in Journalism from Murdoch University. Email: ryan@dotesports.com