Riot Games, the studio behind the popular MOBA League of Legends, reportedly scrapped its plans to make a fighter game inspired by Super Smash Bros. that had the codename Pool Party.
The decision to scrap the plan was apparently made in May 2024 and was due to executives becoming concerned that it would struggle to win over consumers.
Journalist Mikhail Klimentov was the one who led the report after interviewing current and former Riot Games employees who were familiar with the situation.
League of Legends Fighting Game
(Photo : Getty Images, Riot Games / Screenshot taken from official website)
It was said that there were around 70 to 80 workers who were assigned to work on the development of the project. The fighting game was envisioned as a platformer-brawler that is set in the League of Legends universe.
Reportedly, the project took some cues from Nintendo's flagship Super Smash Bros. franchise and was seen by Riot Games as a means to boost its presence in the esports scene.
The studio also allegedly pitched the title as a hardcore fighter but later shifted the goalposts to incorporate party game mechanics and more casual elements, according to GameDeveloper.
The sudden changes were said to have frustrated a lot of the staffers who were working on the supposed project. It was also said that Riot Games had concerns regarding the viability of Pool Party as executives were doubtful of its capability to make an impact in a crowded market.
The fluctuating performance of Warner Bros. Game IP-splattered fighter MultiVersus, which had a debut that recorded strong player counts in early access, apparently impacted Riot Games' decision to scrap its own plans.
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It is believed that roughly half of the team who was working on Pool Party was offered a reassignment within the company itself. On the other hand, other people sought out new positions via the company's internal job board.
Ten of the people reportedly did not receive an offer and had not applied for another role within Riot Games. It is still unclear whether or not those particular individuals were laid off or voluntarily decided to part ways with the company.
Concerns of Pool Party's Capabilities
Riot communications director Joe Hixson reportedly told Klimentov that the studio always has a number of projects in various phases of research and development. He added that spinning projects up and down happens several times in a single year, said PCGamer.
Another possible reason that the studio scrapped its plans for Pool Party is that the farther-along League-based fighting game, 2XKO, has been playable since 2023. This particular game is currently gearing up for a proper launch sometime next year.
For years now, Riot Games has been working to turn the popularity of its League of Legends franchise into an extended universe of multi-game genres. The studio also has an MMO based in the universe that is currently undergoing development.
Since the rise in popularity of its titular MOBA game, Riot Games has also put out some auto battlers and card-based spin-offs. The company also made some RPGs, indie action games, and platformers based on the League of Legends series, according to Kotaku.
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