League of Legends (LoL) is one of the most popular games in the world, with over 100 million monthly players. Riot Games, the developer behind this hugely popular title, looks set to release their next big hit in the form of a 2D fighting game. Here is what we know so far.
Titled Project L, the game was first confirmed at the Evolution Championship Series (EVO) 2019, with a playable demo unveiled at this year’s edition.
The assist-based fighting game will mirror popular counterparts like the Marvel vs Capcom and the Smash Brothers series, but will be set in the LoL universe.
Its gameplay will also have a familiar feel to it – players will be able to select two characters for each match, and can either call their second character in to assist in extending combos, or tag them in and control them during the match.
Besides individual play, teams of two can also duke it out against one another whilst controlling separate characters.
Players can control their characters via the game’s six-button control system, with simple direction commands and special move inputs unique to each character.
At EVO 2023 last month, fighting game enthusiasts and LoL fans alike got a glimpse of Project L gameplay with Riot Games showcasing a playable demo at the event.
Although the full roster of heroes for Project L has yet to be confirmed, the likes of Ahri, Darius, Ekko and Yauso were already seen in action at the EVO 2023 demo.
Additionally, three more fighters – Katarina, Illaoi and Jinx – have been seen in Project L promotional material.
According to Tom Cannon, Senior Director and Executive Producer of Project L, the game is still in “deep development”, with no release date confirmed yet. However, fans will be hopeful after seeing some gameplay at EVO2023.
One big question on the minds of fans is what sort of platforms Project L will be released on. Many expect it to be playable on PC, just like Riot Games’ other titles. Console gamers need not despair, however. Twitter user @RiotFGC shared an image from EVO 2023 that showed the game running on PS5.
Although Project L is still in the works, it is touted to be the next hit fighting game. And the best part about it? It is free to play.
The developers at Riot Games are hoping that Project L will be a game for the masses – in his developer’s diary video posted in August 2022, Tom Cannon said that he wants people “to be able to play no matter where you live, what your skill level is, or how much money you have to spend on a game”.
The hype is building and hopes are high – now all fans can do is wait.
