As Riot Games unveiled its plans for the 2024 Season of League of Legends to the media last week, it also confirmed what was anticipated in a dev blog a few weeks ago. Moving forward, everything done within the Runeterra Universe will be cohesive, thus enhancing the player and fan experience.
When presenting the 2024 Season, Riot’s developers emphasized how they wanted all the changes to feel tied together by one main theme: the Void. They confirmed the choice was not made in preparation of a Void Event—as fans had previously thought—but to give visual aid to new and veteran players to get quickly accustomed to the map changes.
“One of the things we want[ed] to do was have a really strong component of tying gameplay and visuals together,” commented Pu Liu, game director of League, in an interview with Dot Esports. He explained how the League team was “really confident” they could deliver a great experience with a visual change to the map, but were less sure they could succeed in tying it with gameplay mechanics.
What was then presented to the public was “the best option” that felt cohesive. And cohesion is something Riot has been trying to “dial up” in the past few years, said Liu. “I think you’ll see more of it going forward.”
The goal is to make the “entire League of Legends experience” come together under one banner: the lore, the Summoner’s Rift, Aram, and “TV shows.” At that mention, one can’t help but immediately think of Arcane, the animated series that saw enormous success across the globe, but few remember that Riot is also working on a live-action feature-length movie.
However, with how Riot is pushing to create a more cohesive experience across all its IP, fans can expect to see familiar faces, places, and stories coming in different forms. “Ultimately what we’re interested in exploring is other ways of telling stories,” added Jeremy Lee, League’s executive producer. Beyond Arcane, the League universe has a vast array of characters and stories that Riot has “a lot of interest” in exploring. Some of the ways Riot explored these tales was through various in-client missions, narrative experiences, and interactive minigames.
Both League’s game director and executive producer said they’re extremely excited about the second season of Arcane, despite being in the dark about the series’ latest developments. Although they couldn’t share more about the upcoming season of Arcane, Liu highlighted when Rioters get excited about something “they do really dope shit.”
Lee confirmed the team will be sharing more at a later date, but fans can expect a close collaboration between the teams in charge of the game, the esport, and the entertainment, producing something that “only Riot can do for players.”
Disclaimer: Riot PR paid for travel to Seoul and provided accommodation.
