The Failure of Riot Games’ Attempt at a League of Legends Brawler

Riot Games, known for their popular game League of Legends, recently decided to cancel their own “unannounced” Super Smash Bros. Melee-inspired project set within the League of Legends universe. The project, codenamed ‘Pool Party’, was reportedly axed in “late May”. This decision came after Riot Games saw an opportunity to build and support the game’s esports scene, unlike Nintendo.

The cancellation of the project came after a reassessment of consumer appetite for a Smash competitor, especially following the failure of MultiVersus. The executives at Riot Games were supposedly “spooked” by the inability of other companies to match the success and quality of the Super Smash Bros. series. Despite having approximately 70-80 employees assigned to the project, Riot decided to halt the development of the brawler.

After cancelling the ‘Pool Party’ project, half of the team members working on it have reportedly been reassigned to other projects within the company. Some others are currently in the process of reapplying for new positions through Riot’s internal job board. However, progress on Riot’s new fighter game 2XKO (formerly known as Project L) continues. The project is scheduled to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2025.

The failure of Riot Games’ attempt at creating a brawler set in the League of Legends universe raises questions about whether any developer outside of Nintendo will ever be able to match the success and quality of the Super Smash Bros. series. With Riot Games, a reputable gaming company, struggling to recreate the magic of the beloved brawler franchise, it seems like a daunting task for others to achieve the same level of success.

Riot Games’ cancelled project ‘Pool Party’ serves as a reminder of the challenges in creating a successful brawler outside of the Super Smash Bros. series. While Riot Games continues to work on other projects such as 2XKO, the failure of their attempted League of Legends-inspired brawler highlights the difficulties in matching the quality and appeal of Nintendo’s iconic franchise.