Riot Games has announced that League of Legends is getting the card game treatment. The latest addition to the beloved franchise is called Project K, and its launch will include official organized play support.
The Project K Announcement
The announcement of Project K was made via an official video on Riot Games' YouTube channel. The game is a competitive experience, similar to Magic: The Gathering or Disney Lorcana, just with characters and locations from League of Legends. It will support 1v1, 2v2, and four-player free-for-all games.
According to game director Dave Guskin and executive producer Chengran Chai, the game is being developed by a small team within Riot Games. In addition, this is not a physical version of its digital card game Legends of Runeterra but an original experience that draws from the deep lore and characters of the franchise.
The trailer shows some of the cards. There are familiar faces such as Jinx, Viktor, Volibear, and Yasuo as well as recognizable locations like Zaun. Each of the characters appear to have two different colors, but there don't appear to be any resources like Magic: The Gathering's mana. This is speculation since the game is still in development.
In the latter half of the video, Chai mentions that organized play will be supported for Project K at launch. This will include local play events at hobby shops, competitive events up to the national level, and even global tournaments.
As for the game's release, Riot will be taking a staggered approach. They already have a publishing partner for the game's release in China in early 2025. A global launch is planned, but they are currently seeking publishers for the US and EU.
Project K is the latest expansion to the League of Legends series. The iconic MOBA has seen single-player spin-offs like Mageseeker and Ruined King, the upcoming 2XKO fighting game, and the critically acclaimed animated series Arcane.
