Project L — the 2-on-2 fighting game launched as the next big release from industry giant Riot Games — is still the way to go. There’s no release date yet, just a handful of characters, and with our last major update, we know the team has just locked down the base gameplay and started working on full-scale feature and character creation. The reality of people jumping on stage to play Project L for the money is still a distant vision. However, does that mean Riot Games hasn’t built the groundwork yet? No way, man – I certainly don’t think so.
So since I was in Sweden for the LEC Summer Finals, where the best teams in Europe were battling it out in the top League of Legends, I thought it would be best to do some digging. Sitting across from me in a curtained interview room is Alberto Guerrero, the EU’s senior director of esports, who is the perfect person to question what their plans are for Riot’s yet-to-be-released fighting game, and what they’ve done about it. The initial pre-release stage, and what special content they have in mind for the fighting game community (FGC).
But why should anyone care? Sure Riot Games is working on its fighting games right now, but why does its vision of future esports really matter to those who play fighting games right now? Well, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to predict that Project L will send shockwaves across the genre. It’s free-to-play, which means it’ll have a strong initial base, and with existing Riot Games fans, along with funding from Riot Games, its performance on the big stage could influence or revolutionize other developers and publishers Businesses approach their own titles.
Don’t hit the piece with a damper at the outset, but Alberto made it clear that talking about any particular ruleset, competitive structure, or how they work around quirks like Open Bracket, a culture’s culture “for the Too early” to bring your own gear, yes, controllers vs sticks vs hitboxes. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not looking at the scene from a competitive lens. For many, open brackets in particular (meaning anyone can enter a tournament and get to the top) are an important part of fighting game culture. It’s also something Riot hasn’t touched in over a decade.
“I can’t share more than the public already knows. We’re not dating, the only thing I can say is we’ll be ready. Project L is a fighting game. Yes, the fighting game community is different. Fighting Games The competition in FPS is different from the competition in FPS or mobile games. Everyone knows we hire great professionals and work with them to develop games – and we’re doing the same thing with eSports…”
“…We’ll get to know what the fighting community is looking for. How they’re used to organizing matches and competitions. I think we’ll give a proper answer. It’s too early to share how we made it, but You can imagine we’re not going to have split seasons and roadshows. We’re going to adjust the way we give players the opportunity to compete and watch.”
One question I definitely want to ask Alberto is if he has ventured into some of the events to see how they go in person. Events like VsFighting, Celtic Throwdown, and a series of Central European Championships have been going on for a while now — and we know Riot has partnered with A lot of
“Not me. I would say three members of my team have been traveling this year to study and prepare, but not just my team: in every region. We did this globally even a few years ago. Research. Remember, we announced this on our tenth anniversary, but as a company, we know [about it] forward.so [throughout] This period, I can tell you, we know we need to be there. Evo is a good example, but there are many others. “
While Alberto won’t comment (even if hypothetical) on how things like open parentheses are handled, he does make sure to mention that people are looking into it. “I have experts who will know better than me, right? But it’s too early to talk about this at the moment. But it’s going to be for sure, much closer to the fighting game community than what we do in League of Legends or Counter-Strike what’s happening today.”
“That’s why the FGC has been set up, because they are communities that are used to certain things, so we need to adapt to that and follow most of that. Of course, we will try to innovate and do things a little differently, but that aspect will Appreciated. We will not apply the same [approach] We are using our FPS like Valorant or League of Legends. “
To close this thread, I want to ask Alberto how confident he is that Project L will be a hit. Granted, trying to squeeze out some juicy stuff is a bit of a bait problem, but since Riot Games has always set its sights on leaders beyond the current genre, I’m curious how that mission statement will feel supported in esports. How do you make a 2D fighting game that, despite its mainstream casual appeal, never reaches the heights of Riot Games’ next star FPS or MOBA?
“That’s our goal. Our goal is always to be a better esports fan from every angle, both the viewing experience and the competitive experience. So I’m not sure how we’re going to do it, but it’s going to be our The “target is certain. Our focus right now is to understand the fighting game community, what they’re doing right now, and what to expect from them. Then we’ll see how we translate that into our proposal. “
