Will Riot Games Ever Create LoL 2?

By now, we’ve seen many giants on the video game scene add 2 or 3 next to their name. Brand new games and expansions are constantly being released, refreshing their original intent. Dota 2 and World of Warcraft: Shadowlands are brilliant examples where an update in the story and the gameplay can launch a game to new heights. And that’s precisely what makes many of us wonder: Will Riot Games ever Create LoL 2?

It’s definitely not easy to answer this question. First of all, the League of Legends developers have to think about reasons sufficient to change the game dramatically. Or, they’ll have to have a completely original idea for the next LoL game to even begin making one. And then they will need tons of time, resources, and men power to create the next game/expansion. Video game design takes years to produce a quality end result, which isn’t ideal because of all the investments beforehand.

However, there was recently a Q&A on the LoL Reddit forum where a Riot Games developer was asked whether they will ever create LoL 2? And the developer called dzareth gave his best and honest answer according to his knowledge and info on the matter.

Will Riot Games Ever Create League of Legends 2?

The exact question in the Reddit Q&A session was framed like this:

What do you think would be better for the Lol franchise/brand?

1. LoL 2 after the end of LoL’s lifecycle; or,
2. Extending LoL’s lifecycle indefinitely with regular updates;

And truthfully, we don’t need a Riot developer to tell us where the game design team is leaning towards. League of Legends has worked with the same system and the same framework for years and years in the past. It follows simple sets of rules: every two weeks, there is a patch update, introducing minor changes and balances all around. The preseason is when new ideas are presented to us that usually change the way we play LoL. For example, Elemental Dragons and Mythic Items. And this cycle repeats each year.

I think we are way past LoL 2 by now… Perhaps you could argue that a rebranding and relaunching of League might make it appeal to new audiences or drive freshness? But it would probably be a very expensive way to do it. I don’t think that’s the way our audience discovers and enjoys League. That said, I’ve seen a few attempts to do that in our industry with varying degrees of “truth” behind the marketing of that change. As above, I think players know what is going on. If there is merit they try it, if there isn’t they won’t. If there is merit, then was the marketing of “2” actually really necessary? So, I am fairly skeptical of that approach, I haven’t seen the evidence of it paying off. Perhaps there are circumstances where it would.

And so, this was dzareth’s answer. First of all, he firmly states that they are “way past LoL 2 by now”. This means that Riot regards League of Legends in such a good state that they simply don’t feel the “need” to make an entirely different game. He is also skeptical on the topic that a second or a third iteration of the game would make the title more popular. Or at least charm a new audience to the franchise. League of Legends has recently been growing again in popularity (it’s always been the biggest Esports title), so maybe he is right.

Also read: How many skins are in League of Legends?

Another thing to mention here is that Riot Games recently released League of Legends: Wild Rift. This was the mobile version of the game, which was made entirely from scratch to suit the platforms. It was received super well by nearly everyone. Many experts regarded it as the best MOBA available on a mobile phone.

So, all of this clearly shows that Riot Games have achieved tremendous success in the video game business. Their foothold is secured, and all of their games are doing fantastically well, especially League of Legends. And while that is excellent news to hear, we’re quite sure that we won’t be getting a new LoL 2 game in the near future.

Does League of Legends Need LoL 2?

When a game is rebranded with a “2” or “3” at the end of its name, it usually means that the original game has been changed drastically. In the case of League of Legends, if LoL 2 was ever to happen, it wouldn’t be just a pile of patch changes but an entirely new game. And this can go in either a right way or a wrong way. Let’s examine what Riot Games could do if they ever create LoL 2.

First, expand the story. In the past couple of years, Riot has made tremendous efforts to bring us closer to the lore of Runeterra. Comics, cinematics, short stories, and books have been made and shipped to the broad public, portraying the heroes we all know and love. Well, an LoL 2 game can take the wondrous world of Runeterra and explore its mysteries further. We can follow storylines that are only mentioned in the current lore, as well as explore new parts of the map and lands we’ve never seen before.

Next, we can have an entirely new cast of characters. In such a big world, Riot Games can give us all new champions. This can be a chance to create something truly original, something that doesn’t resemble any MOBA before League of Legends. All players will start from the same point of knowledge and learn the new champions as they go.

Then, the gameplay could be changed altogether. Riot can invent new types of champions with brand new mechanics. Maybe they will have 5 or 6 or 7 active spells, with a couple of passive ones. The roles could be shaken too, with two people heading top, two in the middle, or two in the jungle. Hell, the entire map could be different, and more lanes could be added if necessary.

Lastly, the looks. With LoL 2, Riot Games can finally upgrade the game’s core appearance to something modern, fresh, and vivid. Maybe this time around, LoL can be created with Unreal Engine, which is used to produce games like The Witcher 3. This will give us a highly realistic League of Legends game where we could immerse ourselves in the world even more!

But does League of Legends really needs all this? Truthfully, no. As the Riot developer expressed himself, an LoL 2 game isn’t planned because League of Legends is doing so great anyway. It has been the most popular video game and Esports title for nearly 10 years. No one would sacrifice the people working to keep the game in such a state for a completely new one. And we can’t blame them.

Although new games and changes are fun and exciting, we have to thank League of Legends for staying competitive and engaging throughout the years. Because, after all, we might not need LoL 2 if the original LoL is an awesome place to hang out with both friends and strangers.

In the meanwhile, check out our article on LoL vs Dota 2.