Riot Games Unveils Ambitious Plans for League of Legends' Future

Following the 2026 season, Riot Games is set to introduce a significant revamp of League of Legends, featuring a redesigned client, updated visuals, and new game modes. According to Paul Bellezza, the franchise's executive producer, these updates will bring about meaningful changes to the game, including a fully integrated client, enhanced visuals, and gameplay tweaks. Additionally, the pre-game and run systems will be improved to enhance the experience for new players, alongside new game modes, champion updates, and regular balance adjustments. Bellezza emphasized that the updates are not part of a sequel but rather a transformation of the existing game. More details are expected to be revealed in the coming year. Internally, the project is referred to as 'League Next' and is targeted for a 2027 launch. Furthermore, sources indicate a reorganization of staff, with previous layoffs including 11% of the workforce and the closure of Riot Forge. More recently, 32 employees were affected by redundancies, with 27 from the Leagues team and five from the publishing division.