League of Legends: Wild Rift
League of Legends: Wild Rift | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Riot Games |
Publisher(s) | Riot Games |
Director(s) | Christina Norman[1] |
Producer(s) | |
Designer(s) | Brian Feeney |
Series | League of Legends |
Engine | Unity[4] |
Platform(s) | Android, iOS |
Genre(s) | Multiplayer online battle arena |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
League of Legends: Wild Rift (abbreviated LoL: WR or simply Wild Rift) is a multiplayer online battle arena mobile game developed and published by Riot Games for Android and iOS. The game is a modified version of the PC game League of Legends.[5]
As in League of Legends, players control a character ("champion") with unique abilities and battle against a team of players or AI-controlled units, with the goal of destroying the opposing team's "Nexus". Each League of Legends: Wild Rift match is discrete, with all champions starting off relatively weak but increasing in strength by accumulating items and experience over the course of the game. The champions are influenced by a variety of genres, including high fantasy, steampunk, and Lovecraftian horror.
Gameplay
League of Legends: Wild Rift is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game in the three-dimensional isometric perspective. Players compete in matches, lasting anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes on average. Teams work together to destroy a structure called the Nexus in the enemy team's base, bypassing a line of defensive structures called turrets.
History
After fully acquired Riot Games in 2015, Tencent asked them to turn League of Legends into a mobile title. However, Riot declined and claimed that the game could not be replicated on smartphones. Tencent then created their own mobile MOBA, Honor of Kings (with its international adaptation known as Arena of Valor). The aforementioned games was then reportedly straining their business relationship, and the relationship between the two firms became further strained when Tencent used notable League of Legends players to promote Arena of Valor and its esports tournaments.[6] Nonetheless, Riot Games implied that their relationship with Tencent is still strong, and the conflict between them and their games is only "a bump in the road".[7]
Riot Games eventually acknowledged the potential of the mobile market for the MOBA genre, and agreed to develop a mobile title for League of Legends. Tencent then temporarily pulled marketing plans for Arena of Valor in Europe and North America in 2019, clearing room for Riot Games's announcement of League of Legends: Wild Rift a few months later.[8]
League of Legends: Wild Rift was announced on October 15, 2019, which is the 10th anniversary of League of Legends.[9]
Release
League of Legends: Wild Rift is set to be released in 2020,[10] with a limited alpha launch in Brazil and Philippines in June 2020.[11]
On September 16, 2020, Wild Rift was released in closed beta in Southeast Asia via Google Play and Apple's TestFlight, with more regions to be added at a later date.[12] On October 8, 2020, the closed beta returned, adding South Korea and Japan.[13]
The regional open beta for Southeast Asia began on October 27, 2020.[14] On December 7, 2020, the beta was expanded to include Vietnam, Oceania, and Taiwan. On December 10, 2020, the open beta was expanded ahead of schedule to include the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Middle East, and Turkey; the game's official release date is still unknown.[15][16]
References
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-08-02. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ RiotFeralPony [@RiotFeralPony] (February 6, 2020). "I've been the design lead for about the last year and change. Michael Chow is the overall director / executive producer" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 10, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "/dev diary: May 2020 - Gameplay Reveal - League of Legends: Wild Rift". Archived from the original on 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
- ^ Unity [@unity3d] (February 25, 2020). "We are working with @riotgames to bring @PlayRuneterra and @wildrift to your favorite platforms! Want to be legendary? You can pre-register for the game today: http://playruneterra.com" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Tencent reportedly gives up on Arena of Valor". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ Mickunas, Aaron (2018-08-13). "Riot's relationship with Tencent has reportedly been strained over declining profits and mobile games". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ Gamesforum (2020-11-05). "League of Legends: Wild Rift enters the mobile MOBA arena". Gamesforum. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (October 15, 2019). "League of Legends: Wild Rift is coming to mobile and console". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "League of Legends Mobile release date WARNING ahead of LoL Wild Rift beta news". Express.co.uk. March 19, 2020. Archived from the original on April 1, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- ^ Lumb, David (2020-05-19). "League of Legends: Wild Rift is nearly ready for alpha testing – but invites are extremely limited". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ^ "LoL: Wild Rift - Regional Closed Beta". Riot Games. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Regional Closed Beta Returns!". Riot Games. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Wild Rift to get 3 new champions and 7 skins in upcoming update". Dot Esports. December 6, 2020. Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- ^ Çakır, Gökhan (2020-12-09). "League of Legends: Wild Rift has gone live early in Europe". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on 2020-12-09. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
External links
- League of Legends
- 2020 video games
- Android (operating system) games
- Esports games
- Free-to-play video games
- IOS games
- Multiplayer video games
- Science fantasy video games
- Video games developed in the United States
- Video games containing loot boxes
- Multiplayer online battle arena games
- Unity (game engine) games
- Tencent