Project L Is Going to Be a Live Service Game

Project L is an upcoming fighter from Riot Games and will be set in the world of League of Legends. The game has been highly anticipated for well over three years now, and we may finally have some more information.

According to Bruce Hsiang, better known as Gamerbee, Riot held a gala event in Japan to which he was invited, and at the event, Project L was showcased to everyone in attendance. However, there were no recordings or the sort allowed, but Gamerbee confirmed that he was allowed to share what he had learned verbally. So, he released a short thread with notes translated using ChatGPT. These are not official announcements, but we can be fairly certain that what Gamerbee has to say is on good authority. 

We will look briefly at the biggest highlights from the information provided.

It will be a live service game

Project L is going to be a live service game. This means that it will be the only one ever made. There will be no Project L Ultimate Edition, and it is unlikely to have a sequel but will be regularly updated and patched with new characters and mechanics.

Price

It has already been confirmed that Project L is going to be free-to-play, following the trend of many fighting game platformers. Gamerbee mentioned that it would be free, with options to monetize added later on.

Connection

We already know that the game will have rollback netcode, but it was also stated that it will also rely on servers, with players picking a server to play on and getting better connection the closer they are to the server. This is in place of the regular p2p model that fighting games use. 

Game Mechanics

According to Gamerbee, there are quite a few mechanics, many of which were not showcased, but there was some information about a defensive mechanic called 'Retreating Guard' (this is unlikely to be the final name), which was showcased briefly. As mentioned before, it will be a 2 v 2 style game with players able to tag in a support character to continue the battle. To win, a player will have to defeat both opponent's characters and win two out of three rounds. Also, the game will be a three-button game with a light, medium, and heavy moves.

Difficulty

Riot seems at pains to allay any fears held by veteran fighting game players that Project L will be too easy and has assured everyone that the game will be 'easy to learn, hard to master' and will cater to both newer and older players.

Competitive Prospects

As for esports, Gamerbee stated that Riot's aim is to make a good game that satisfies everyone before diving headlong into the competitive scene. They also wanted to assure players that they would be able to make a living as pros. They stressed that their prize pools would not be humongous but will also be something tangible. The aim is to aid fighting game pros in earning through both tournament prizes and endorsements.

They also claimed that they will work hand-in-hand with the community and would not place obstacles in the path of tournament organizers who want to use Project L in their competitions. There will be a circuit of sorts, but not so many that will close the door on TOs who want to work with Project L.

You can read the tweet above with all the screenshots for clearer details, but it all seems promising.

For those hoping for a release date, we still do not have that, and it is fair to say that we might not see Project L this year. But what is clear is that it is coming closer and closer, and there is hope that we will see the potential of the game realized.