Is League of Legends an MMO?

Is League of Legends an MMO? Find out the answer and everything you need to know about Riot Games’ most popular video game.

Is League of Legends an MMO Game?

No, League of Legends is not an MMO (Massively multiplayer online). It falls instead into the MOBA genre.

What is a MOBA?

MOBA is the acronym for multiplayer online battle arena, a game genre in which the player controls a character (called champion) with a set of unique abilities from an isometric perspective.

What is the difference between the two?

While the two can be technically considered similar from one perspective, the most common and broad definition does differentiate MOBAs from MMOs. The latter usually features a huge, persistent open world, where many players connect to the same “world” simultaneously. These games can be found on most network-capable platforms, including PCs, video game consoles, and smartphones (or other electronic devices that have access to an internet connection).

MOBAs, on the other hand, are a subgenre of strategy video games in which two teams of players compete against each other on a predefined battlefield. Only have a few players that connect and play in the same instance (lobby) of the game. Unless there was a chance to see thousands of players fighting in the same MOBA on different teams, then we might see the rise of a new sub-genre called MMOBA. But given the complexity and potential issues that it would create, that is likely never going to happen (would love to be disproved).

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Is League of Legends considered RPG?

While League of Legends is not technically classified as an RPG, I still believe it’s not heresy to say that it can be considered an RPG (even though I think MOBA is just the correct definition). By the definition of the genre, you technically fulfill a role every time you step into Summoners’ Rift. That said, there is no narrative developing, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making or character development, so that’s why LoL is categorized as MOBA only.

Is League of Legends the biggest MOBA?

According to stats site Activeplayer, League of Legends is indeed the top MOBA game with nearly 150 million monthly users. There are over 1 million players in a game at any given time and the average peak daily player count for League of Legends in 2022 was 13,651,302. Other famous MOBAs are Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, Eternal Return, and Smite.

What is the very first MOBA game?

Weirdly enough, the first well-known MOBA was released in 2003, as a fan-made mod for the game Warcraft III. The mod became so popular that it renamed itself to Defense of the Ancients, which led to the simplified name DotA. The mod was maintained by community volunteers, some of whom notably left to join Riot Games to develop League of Legends. The first MOBA was however acquired by game developer Valve in 2009, and they released DotA 2 in 2013.

What are the easiest MOBAs available?

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Does Riot Games have an MMO game in their portfolio?

While Riot Games doesn’t have an MMO game currently, the developers have been working hard on a new title name coded Project F. It was initially announced during the 10-year anniversary edition of Riot Pls. While it’s still not confirmed to be an RPG, it would be one of the few game genres missing from the LoL universe. We know that the game was being worked on in 2022, as confirmed by Greg Street, former EP of the MMO project at Riot Games.

Considering how vast the LoL roster is and the various regions in the lore, it’s only logical to see the devs taking their time to develop the game. While there is no confirmation on when it will be released, it definitely won’t be this year (and even the next one).

Why is League of Legends so popular?

The primary reason for LoL’s popularity is its accessibility. League of Legends is one of the first video games to introduce a well-thought free-to-play model. Players can enjoy and hit the best ranks of the game while paying no money. By monetizing through in-game transactions that provide no benefits gameplay, they completely got rid of the pay-to-win formula that is more widespread in other titles. As long as you enjoy playing the game and want to grind hard to improve, you will see progress.

The LoL universe becomes an ecosystem

By creating various titles across different game genres, Riot Games have essentially created an entire ecosystem of the LoL universe. Regardless of whether you might like a specific game, you will be able to get in touch with the ecosystem and learn things that can be applicable to other games, even if you are not familiar with them. This makes the learning process a lot easier to do and it will indirectly incentivize players to at least try out all the other games.

Riot does this not only through the games but the entertainment industry as a whole. By organizing tournaments, creating video content, working with artists to make music, and most importantly, releasing animation series like Arcane, they are able to capture various niches at the same time and let people constantly engage with them. On top of that, this also allows Riot Games to diversify its revenue streams and explore new monetization opportunities, making the company less prone to financial downturns and solidifying its position among all publishers and other stakeholders in the gaming space.

The company’s ecosystem is truly a masterpiece and it will keep on growing more and more, especially with the releases of new games like Project L, Riot’s own fighting game, and Project F (somewhere in the future) to tackle the MMO genre.

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