Earlier this week Riot co-founder Marc Merrill sparked discussion around the possibility of the developer creating a “League of Legends” massively multiplayer online game when he tweeted a question about the idea. But the tweet, which read simply “Should we build a MMO? Yay or nay?” wasn’t meant to be taken seriously. “He was being playful around the release of this world map (https://map.leagueoflegends.com/en_US) – and wants to encourage our players to think of what Riot’s long-term goals could look like,” Justin Kranzl, Riot Games’ North America communications director, told Variety. The tweeted question came after the developer released an interactive map based on the game’s growing lore. The single tweet kicked off discussion in the official “League of Legends” subreddit where players there discussed the possibilities of a “LoL” MMO and whether they thought it could be successful. “League of Legends” is a massively popular game worldwide, with huge followings in some countries, including South Korea. The MOBA is currently the second most watched and third most streamed title on the video game streaming platform Twitch, according to TwitchStats. While the company hasn’t created any spin-offs for the popular game, it has put a lot of work recently into breathing more life into the lore behind the game through video shorts and comics. Some of that new material has reinvented characters or given them a more robust backstory.<doc-sep>Riot Games is kind of an ironically-named developer, because for all practical purposes it only makes one, the decade-old League of Legends. But co-founder Marc Merrill told Variety that the studio is looking to branch out into other things, although it's still trying to figure out exactly what. “It’s an exciting time for us as a company,” Merrill said. “We’re emerging from being the ‘League of Legends’ company to whatever it will be in the future. We’ve been working for such a long period of time on so many things.” Merrill hinted at one possibility in July: Should we build a MMO? Yay or nay? https://t.co/doZs8zkLNXJuly 25, 2018 See more He warned that the tweet shouldn't be taken as an "MMO incoming" klaxon, saying that "we may never deliver on that question." At the same time, he added, "it is so validating and exciting to have players' minds focused on what could come. He also made it clear that it's an idea he's put a lot of thought into. He declined to answer when asked directly whether Riot is working on an MMO, but instead took a minute to muse on the nature of MMOs, and the apparent invincibility of the game that dominates the genre. "The question that is really interesting and relevant is, ‘What does the future of MMOs look like?’ I think we have a view, others have a view, players have a view," Merrill said. "World of Warcraft continues to be a dominating game. There is a really good argument that going head-to-head with WoW may not be the best move, but who knows. We’re exploring a lot of stuff, thinking about a lot of stuff." That includes games that may not be related to League of Legends, but the intent is to give them the same sort of very specific focus: "We’re not going to try and please everyone or do things even oriented to a mass market," he said. "We think of League of Legends as a niche market that’s really focused." "There are lots of games people buy and play on the app store, Steam library, on consoles," he said. "That creates a lot of interesting questions and challenges, but we focus on what would be worth someone’s time. That’s the only type of game we want to create: games with longevity — that’s worth your time." Riot recently released a new comic and cinematic video featuring Ryze, one of League of Legends' original champions, expanding on his backstory and quest for the World Runes. It's the kind of thing that wouldn't look at all out of place in a promo for an MMO.<doc-sep>Riot Games has produced a detailed map showing off the sprawling world that exists within League of Legends. Lore has been an important part of Riot’s MOBA since its beginnings over a decade ago, but the new map – which could provide the backdrop for a brand-new game set in the LoL universe – is the most in-depth exploration yet. The interactive map shows off the entire continent of Runeterra, from the mysterious Shadow Isles in the south east to the frozen tundra of the Freljord in the north. Nearby, Noxus and Demacia feature alongside Ionia, while the mountains of Targon and the deserts of Shurima stretch away to the south. The whimsical homeworld of the Yordles, Bandle City, seems to drift around the map, never appearing in the same place twice. Zooming in on a section of the map draws the attention to points of interest. Capital cities feature, but so do areas like Mount Targon, which gave us Zoe, Taric, and Leona. The childhood homes of Garen, Lux, and Quinn are also mentioned. If you’re a bit of a lore nut, the League of Legends map also acts as something of a library for all of the League of Legends universe stories. Simply click on a location to access the lore for a specific spot. The map could also work as a hint as to what else Riot Games is working on. It’s a poorly-kept secret that the League of Legends’ founders have returned to development ahead of an as-yet-unannounced new project, but there’s little clue as to what that is. Should we build a MMO? Yay or nay? https://t.co/doZs8zkLNX — Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) July 25, 2018 However, after the official League of Legends account tweeted a link to the map, Riot co-founder Marc Merrill tweeted, asking fans “should we build a MMO? Yay or nay?”. That’s obviously not concrete information, but a League MMO could work, especially with such a rich map and so many characters to draw from. If the best MMOs aren’t your thing, check out our list of the best League of Legends champions. Alternatively, you can check out the video above – neither can guarantee you’ll make that climb to Diamond, but a few pointers can’t exactly hurt, can they?<doc-sep>
Whether or not the world of the popular “League of Legends” could translate to an MMO is a current topic of discussion among fans of the MOBA. The discussion was sparked by a tweet on Tuesday evening from Marc Merrill, co-founder of Riot Games and co-creator of “League of Legends,” asking fans whether or not the developer should make an MMO. The tweet from Merrill came on the heels of a tweet from the official “League of Legends” Twitter account, showing off Riot’s new interactive map of Runeterra. Should we build a MMO? Yay or nay? https://t.co/doZs8zkLNX — Tryndamere (@MarcMerrill) July 25, 2018 “League of Legends” players went to the official subreddit to dissect the tweet, and discuss whether or not the tease could become a reality, as well as sentiments regarding what an MMO based on the world of the MOBA would need to be successful. It’s too early to tell if Merill is being coy and an MMO is already in the works, but Merrill and Brandon Beck did share that they would be shifting their roles “to be much more focused on games again” in a post from last year. “League of Legends” is a massively popular game worldwide, with huge followings in some countries, including South Korea. The MOBA is currently the second most watched and third most streamed title on the video game streaming platform Twitch, according to TwitchStats. The popularity has led to some other developers trying to imitate the style of the game for profit. Tencent Holdings, the parent company of Riot Games, recently won a lawsuit against “League of Legends” copycat game developers.