Senior Director Tom Cannon announced today that Riot's upcoming 2D fighting game Project L will be free to play. Focused on eliminating as many barriers as possible from any potential players - financial or skill-wise - the dev team is hoping to create another Riot experience that is accessible to all.
This may not come as a massive surprise to regular players of Riot games (as Cannon pointed out himself), as two of Riot's biggest titles, Valorant and League of Legends, are also free to play games. However, Project L follows a string of games that seek to expand Riot's library of game genres. Hextech Mayhem embraces the chaos of explosive runners, Ruined King places League champions in turn-based combat, and Song of Nunu weaves a single-player tale unlike anything Riot's created before. These games, like Project L, represent Riot's drive to expand their game universe and explore other genres. Though, Project L is unique in that it is the only game in this group that is free to play.
Riot's Project L Dev Diary - Updated Gameplay and Champion Design
While the game itself may be free to play, it seems like Riot is looking into alternative methods of monetization for Project L. Cannon states, "When it comes to monetization, we promise to be respectful of your time and your wallet."
Along with this, Cannon also elaborated on the state of production so far. Following Project L's last dev diary, Cannon reconfirmed that the game will be an assist-based fighter. Each team will have 2 champions, presenting unique 2v2 gameplay at its core. According to Cannon, "a lot of the team has moved on to building champions or building around game features like competitive play and our social systems."
Though he didn't expand further on what those social systems may be, he showcased an exciting future for Project L. League's competitive scene is already massive, and this fighting game has the potential to foster yet another expansive community.
Additionally, he officially announced that champion Illaoi will be on the fighting game roster. The team's blog has an in-depth look at their design process in adapting this character for the new genre, located here. Illaoi joins previously confirmed champions Ahri, Darius, Ekko, Jinx, and Katarina.
Watch the full dev update down below. Cannon says that he will be back later this year for one more update!