Riot Games reportedly planning a comprehensive overhaul of League of Legends, according to Bloomberg.
The upcoming transformation, allegedly named "League Next," is described as a deep update to the existing game rather than a standalone title—though it closely resembles a full remake. Bloomberg indicates the update will completely renew the game’s visual style, including characters, UI, and arenas, alongside behind-the-scenes improvements designed to streamline future updates. It remains unclear whether gameplay mechanics will be affected.
The report suggests League Next is targeted for release in 2027, making it the most significant update in League of Legends’ nearly 20-year history.
Bloomberg also notes that Riot has enacted an internal reorganization, though no further details on its impact on the studio have been provided yet.
League of Legends first launched in 2009 and, unusually for a game of its age, has maintained immense popularity ever since. A multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), it was originally inspired by the Warcraft 3 custom map Defense of the Ancients and played a pivotal role in defining and popularizing the MOBA genre. It has since spawned several spin-offs, including the digital card game Legends of Runeterra, the mobile title Wild Rift, and the acclaimed TV series Arcane.
Bloomberg reports that League of Legends still draws over 100 million players each month. The game remains one of the world’s largest esports, with its 2025 World Championship finals in China drawing 6.7 million virtual viewers.
League of Legends has endured at such a massive scale for so long that we actually revisited it years after our original 2009 review—back in 2014. At the time, we called it “an amazing and intense MOBA with great depth, tons of character, and a huge community.”
