This could actually be... a lot of ****ing fun.
If all the champions currently made are available in the supposed MMO, there's going to be TONS of variety - although I'm still not quite sure how they would do it, as most MMOs have only a few professions to choose from, not 70+. But I would be very excited to see this in action, if it ever does come out.
If all the champions currently made are available in the supposed MMO, there's going to be TONS of variety - although I'm still not quite sure how they would do it, as most MMOs have only a few professions to choose from, not 70+. But I would be very excited to see this in action, if it ever does come out.
VoiD
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The reason I joined LoL in the first place is when i watched the trailer on youtube, i thought it was LoTR, DoD, and WoW kind of gameplay, but I didnt mind playing a RTS.
the guy has a point. a business entity must be profitable before it can achieve other goals. if making a MMO sequel to LoL is the best way to fulfill the fundamental purpose of operating a business, there is reason for Riot to seriously consider it.
also, think about how fun it would be PKing with Tryndamere :D
also, think about how fun it would be PKing with Tryndamere :D
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http://www.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=421843
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I have no insider knowledge, but based on a few hints, their business strategy and the way Riot is hiring up more and more staff, I am making a prediction that the "Expect the Unexpected" video we got for Christmas was a hint that Riot will be bringing a full, free-to-play MMO out in 2011.
Evidence:
Zileas is Riot's top designer. While he did work on the Warcraft series back in the day, his more recently professional experience has been working on World of Warcraft and working at Red5 Studios, who were formed specifically to produce MMOs.
Riot is hiring a Content Designer. This job posting: http://www.riotgames.com/careers/***...ative-designer Suggests that they are looking to write a lot of content in the coming year. They are also talking about implementing content directly into a game using in-house tools. Unless they are drastically altering Summoner's Rift, I don't see why a content designer would need to implement content himself, apart from maybe updating the Journal of Justice. Other job openings have pointed to the same conclusions. You don't need multiple new environment artists to get Magma Chamber shipped.
Riot is backed by a lot of venture capital. You don't need that much money to make more champions and levels. Their rapid growth might help support the growing community of LoL, but the pace at which they've grown suggests a larger project is in the works.
Over the long term, MOBA probably isn't the most viable business model. I think League of Legends as a MOBA will continue to have a strong user base, but eventually you probably reach a saturation point of champions, levels and interested players that will prevent growth from expanding too much further. Long term, you either have to launch a new MOBA to run side-by-side with your existing one to bring in new blood & money OR you have to launch a complimentary product like an MMO to expand the audience into a more mainstream genre and find new sources of revenue.
League of Legends proves that their microtransaction based business model CAN work. Free-to-play is the hottest thing the game industry right now, but its only slowly making its way into the core space. It's shining right now in casual games like Farmville and making companies like Zynga, RockYou, Playdom, etc money hand over fist. DLC started the trend in the core space, but we are gradually seeing more and more companies offer FtP options with growing success. Riot has proven this model successful in the core space now with LoL, so expanding into an MMO is a natural fit, given their staff pedigree and the market position.
Riot has spent an inordinate amount of time developing the lore of Runeterra. The lore continues to grow and evolve for League of Legends, despite being non-critical to creation of a good MOBA. It certainly helps get players interested, but the existing maps, city-states, characters, etc, all point to a much larger world waiting to be unleashed on the gaming public. By capturing a strong audience with LoL, they've given us all a reason to care about their game world from the FIRST DAY their MMO launches. This was a successful formula for the Warcraft --> World of Warcraft transition and I think it can be for LoL too. Where will your start your adventure? As a Demacian footsoldier in Garen's own training grounds? A student of balance and ninjitsu in the Kinkou Order on the Island of Ionia? Will you become a dark mage, concocting magic with Morgana in the belly of Noxus? You wouldn't care that much if this new MMO appeared overnight, but now that you've been playing League of Legends for more than a year, you DO! And you want to explore the rest of the world too.
League of Legends is a great game made by a great team of developers and I'm sure an MMO of some kind would be awesome. I imagine they could take the LoL engine and build it right into a Diablo-style MMO very effectively, although I wouldn't complain about a fully 3D World of Warcraft style game as long the grind wasn't too obnoxious.
Of course, the other option, a smaller step between LoL and an MMO would be to release some PvE content, like Raids or mini D&D campaigns, that players could take their purchased champions into and complete as a team. We've certainly seen that as a trend with other competitive game genres, as they branch out to include short-form cooperative content like the zombies mode in Black Ops. I would really enjoy this kind of content, especially since it would probably way less crummy MMO grinding and more opportunities to get friends involved with the game.
So... Thoughts? Objections? Speculation? Share it.
btw, If I'm right, I'm starting as a Freljordian ice warrior of some sort... or a Yeti Rider. Holy cow if I can be a Yeti Rider I'll never play another game again.