Summary
Riot Gameshas debunked a recent rumor claiming that the studio was developing a competitor to Valve’s upcoming hero shooterDeadlock. The dubious source of the rumor had already muddled its credibility, butRiot Games’definitive confirmation wholly discredits it.
Riot Games has two of the most popular competitive live-service titles under its belt -League of LegendsandValorant. Both of these games see active player numbers in the millions on a daily basis, making them immensely successful ventures for Riot Games. WhereLeague of Legendsis a MOBA andValorantis a hero shooter,Valve’s latest live-service gameDeadlockmerges these genres into a unique blend.Deadlockis currently in an alpha test state, but still garners around 100,000 players every day.
Several game studios are likely taking note ofDeadlock’s unique qualities and noveltiesfor their own projects, but a recent unfounded rumor flew a bit too close to the sun, alleging that Riot Games received a hefty $200 million investment from Tencent to develop aDeadlockcompetitor. The rumor’s only accompanying source being a doctored PC Gamer article made it questionable from the onset, and now Riot Games communication manager Joe Hixson has completely shut it down in a recent tweet.
Riot Games Has “Nothing Like Deadlock” in Development
Hixson flat-out called the rumor “extra fake,” aptly pointing out that the article it refers to doesn’t exist and that Tencent doesn’t fund Riot Games' development in such a capricious manner. To cap off his refutation, Hixson stated that “nothing likeDeadlock” is currently being worked on at Riot Games' R&D department. As far as confirmed projects go, Riot Games is developing two new projectsset in the world ofLeague of Legends. The first is free-to-play fighting game2XKO, which will launch in 2025, and the second project is an unannounced MMO that’s a bit further out.
Riot Games likely has too much on its plate at the moment to be working on a big-budgetDeadlockcompetitor, especially since the studio is alsomovingValorantto Unreal Engine 5. As mentioned previously, Riot Games already has a highly popular MOBA and hero shooter to its name, so it doesn’t make sense that the studio would continue chasing success in these genres. If anything, Riot Games' in-development and canceled projects suggest that it really wants to capitalize on the fighting game genre.2XKOseems to be faring well with players, so it might just turn out to be another Riot hit when it releases next year.
