Summary
Legends of Runeterrais an interesting case study; the game was originally envisioned as a player-versus-player (PvP) card game in the vein of Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, but eventually pivoted to primarily a player-versus-environment (PvE) experience. This was partially because the focus on PvP was costing Riot money, and the PvE aspects wound up being more commercially viable.
Although many players feared their beloved game was being put into “maintenance mode”, the term for live-service games that remain online but aren’t actively updated, Riot has continued to actively update the game since the pivot.
More than Maintenance Mode
In celebration of Legends of Runeterra’s fifth anniversary, Riot Games co-founder Marc “Tryndamere” Merrillreleased a post on social mediatalking about the future of the digital card game.
“Over the past year, the Path of Champions has evolved into something special, shaped by the creativity, feedback and love of the Legends of Runeterra community,” writes Merrill. “We’ve been building a strong foundation for future experiments like events and working with players to make the experience deeper and more replayable. Legends of Runeterra isn’t surviving or in “maintenance mode,” it’s adapting, growing, and laying down new roots for the future.”
“To me, Legends of Runeterra feels like a reminder of what Riot is always trying to be: bold enough to take risks, humble enough to learn, and committed enough to keep going when the road isn’t easy. The quest to deliver great things for players never ends,” the post concludes.
Legends of Runeterra’sPatch 6.4recently added Lux and Leona to the Path of Champions, along with their associated skill cards.
Theupcoming release of Riftbound, a League of Legends-themed physical trading card game, raises questions about potential integration with Legends of Runeterra, but we’ll have to wait and see what Riot Games is planning.
Riot recently hired a new president, Hoby Darling. Darling previously worked as an executive at Skullcandy, Nike and Logitech.
