Summary
Riot Gameshas canceled an unannounced project code-namedPool Party, according to a newly emerged report. The purportedly shelved title is said to have been a fighting game set in theLeague of Legendsuniverse.
While that description also matches that of theLeague of Legendsspin-off2XKO, formerly known asProject L, the two are understood to be unrelated.2XKO, which is still in active development, is being pitched as a 2v2 tag-team fighting game, whereasPool Partywas reportedly envisioned as a platform fighter in the vein of Nintendo’sSuper Smash Bros.series.
Riot Reportedly Canceled Unannounced Smash Bros Rival in May 2024
That’s all according to a newreportby The Washington Post’s Mikhail Klimentov, which states that Riot Games canceledPool Partyin late May 2024, citing people familiar with the matter. It’s unclear at what exact stage of development the game was at the time of its alleged cancellation. But it was ostensibly in active production, as “approximately 70-80” staffers were already attached to the unannouncedplatform fighterimmediately prior to its shelving, as per the same source. Riot Games Senior Director of Corporate Communications Joe Hixson did not outright confirm this report, but told Klimentov that “spinning projects up and down” is something that the company does multiple times every year.
Approximately half of thePool Partyteam is said to have been offered roles on other Riot projects following the cancellation. The game itself was supposedly greenlit in a bid to offer a platform fighter that is more eSports-friendly than Nintendo, which frequentlyshuts downSuper Smash Bros.competitionsrather than supporting them. However, the concept is understood to have changed during development, withPool Partyeventually implementing unspecified “casual-friendly mechanics” and party elements, much to the frustration of some staffers.
MultiVersus Reportedly Contributed to Pool Party’s Cancellation
Riot’s views onPool Party’s viability supposedly changed as of late, with Klimentov reporting that the studio’s leadership started suspecting that there may not be enough consumer interest in such a project. This perspective shift is said to have started afterWarner Bros’MultiVersusbeta came to an unceremonious endin 2023, which the company perceived as a failure that indicates its own project may not be as viable as originally thought.
This turn of events shouldn’t significantly affect the release pace of newLoLspin-offs. Eight such games have hit the market since 2019, withBandle Tale: A League of Legends Storybeing the newest of the lot, having debuted in February 2024. The aforementioned2XKO2v2 fighting game is currently targeting a 2025 release.
