Riot Games, best known for its MOBA League of Legends, has been venturing outside its comfort zone with various projects like an autochess game, a team-based shooter, a digital collectible card game, and even a TV show. However, a recent revelation suggests a canceled project that aimed to bring the world of League of Legends to a new genre: a Super Smash Bros. Melee-inspired fighting game called ‘Pool Party’.
According to Mikhail Klimentov, former editor at Launcher, and reported in his newsletter ReaderGrev, ‘Pool Party’ was set to be a key part of Riot’s esports strategy. It was under development for a significant period, with around 80 employees working on the title. Sources reveal that the project faced internal frustration due to a shift in direction, moving towards more ‘party game’ and ‘casual-friendly’ mechanics, deviating from the initial goal of a ‘hardcore’ fighting experience.
Executives were also troubled by the apparent lack of success in the Smash competitor scene, with games like MultiVersus failing to meet expectations. While MultiVersus underwent an open beta, was removed from stores, and recently relaunched in 1.0, the competitive landscape for this genre seems to be challenging.
Joe Hixson, senior communications director at Riot Games, acknowledged the cancellation in a statement to Klimentov. He stated that Riot often has various projects in different phases of research and development, with projects being spun up and down multiple times a year. He emphasized that canceling projects, even at advanced stages of development, is a common practice within game studios.
This isn’t the only project cancellation Riot has faced recently. Rockstar Games reportedly halted production on a Grand Theft Auto 5 story-based DLC, and Ubisoft canceled The Division Heartland to focus on more established franchises and the newly released XDefiant. Riot itself has experienced its fair share of ups and downs, including a ‘reset’ on an in-development MMO, as announced by co-founder Marc Merrill in March. It also shut down Riot Forge in January, its publishing label focused on hiring indie studios for League spinoffs, and laid off over 500 workers.
While these cancellations and setbacks might suggest instability, it’s important to remember that Riot has an active R&D division dedicated to testing new projects. This implies that there are likely many more canceled and delayed titles that we are unaware of.
Despite the cancellation of ‘Pool Party,’ Riot remains engaged in the fighting game scene. It is working on 2XKO, a 2v2 team-based fighting game featuring League of Legends characters, scheduled for release in 2025.
