LA-based developer/publisher Riot Games has announced that its first title will be League of Legends, an online team-based game that mixes role-playing and real-time strategy elements, for the PC. The LoL development team is partially made up of former modders that developed the popular Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne mod, Defense of the Ancients, so I imagine that the two projects will have quire a bit in common; heck, even the screenshots in the gallery are showing a Warcraft III graphical direction.

League of Legends will see players taking the role of a Summoner that works for an entity known as the Institute of War. It seems that, due to period of intense warfare, the various governments came together to create this Institute so that only a few chosen Champions would need to fight in order to settle disputes. Sort of sounds like a robotless G Gundam, eh?

In a game session, each player-controlled Summoner will take control of a different Champion -- Riot is promising “dozens” of different Champions will make it into the final game. Both Summoners and Champions can level up independently of one another, gaining new skills, items, and abilities, which can then be used to help your teammates beat down the guys on the other side of the map.

League of Legends doesn’t have an estimated release date just yet, but Riot Games has stated that a beta will be taking place in 2009. In fact, they’ve already got a page to sign up for it on the game’s newly launched Web site.

LOS ANGELES — Oct. 7, 2008 — Riot Games, an independent developer and publisher of premium online video games, is currently developing its first title, League of Legends. In the online multiplayer session-based game, rival teams will compete against one another for victory on highly stylized battlefields and landscapes. The title combines elements of role-playing and strategy genres with addictive battle action that brings accessible, replayable, competitive gameplay into a whimsical universe that deepens with the player’s commitment. League of Legends is being designed by a decorated group of developers with credits that include PC & console blockbusters, as well as part of the team that created the popular Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars. Riot will invite players into the League of Legends beta in 2009.

“League of Legends will bring gamers competitive battle-arena style gameplay that builds upon and expands on innovative gameplay concepts that were pioneered in DotA-Allstars, one of the most popular mods of all time,” Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO, Riot Games, said. “The team is applying its expertise and passion to producing a game that fuses premium art and gameplay features with deep community tools.”

After an age of warfare, the superpowers of the land of Valoran have come together to form a governing body that will settle all disputes behind the closed doors of the Institute of War. Their task is a noble one — to lift the impossible weight of bloody war off the shoulders of the world and place it upon a select few — The League of Legends. On the Fields of Justice, legendary Champions forge alliances and resolve their differences in battle arenas. In the League there is one rule that reigns over all else: Winner rules all.

In League of Legends, players take on the role of a persistent Summoner avatar that gazes upon the battlefield from above and influences battles by taking command of a chosen Champion. During each online multiplayer play session, gamers will choose one of dozens of unique Champions wielding diverse skills and abilities, and engage in fast-paced team-oriented combat to bring their foes to ruin. Champions will gain levels, items, and abilities that enable them to slay their opponents and augment the strength of their allies by battling with enemy minions, foul beasts, deadly turrets and enemy Champions. Players also advance their Summoner’s rank and power to gain new abilities and items, assisting their Champions in battle.

League of Legends emphasizes team-oriented gameplay and players must work together in order to defeat the opposing team. Players will be able to communicate easily through in-game lounges and chat rooms, and forums will act as a conversational hub for a wide variety of discussions amongst community members. League of Legends will feature custom-built multiplayer support including matchmaking, stat tracking, clan support, anti-cheat systems, dedicated in-game ladders and Leaverbuster technology. In addition to extensive multiplayer features, League of Legends will include a single-player mode where players can learn how to play and practice new strategies by engaging robust Bot-AI.
The League of Legends community will feature an abundance of ongoing events including tournaments, leagues and contests. The Riot development team will open their doors for community input, allowing gamers to have their opinions heard, have their ideas implemented in League of Legends and continue to shape the game as it evolves post-launch. Gamers can already join the community forums at www.leagueoflegends.com to begin tracking the new title, engage with the Riot team and other players and become a part of the development process for League of Legends.