LoL: Riot begins work on “League Next,” a complete modernization set for 2027

Riot Games is working behind the scenes on a major transformation of League of Legends, according to a Bloomberg report published this Thursday, December 18. Based on the outlet’s information, this ambitious modernization project, internally called “League Next”,is slated for release in 2027 and would mark the most significant overhaul of the game since its original launch.

In a video released alongside the article on League of Legends’ official X account, Executive Producer Paul Bellezza and Studio Head Andrei van Roon make it clear that this is an update to the current game rather than a brand-new title. As they explain: "We're often asked if we're going to make League of Legends 2 someday. And the answer to that has been, and remains, no." The duo also explains that "this video is one section from the upcoming Dev Update after the holiday break," justifying this early communication as a response to "some early speculation" that had already begun circulating online.

Facing an aging game, Riot Games has embarked on extensive renovation work, with 2025 serving only as the first step, notably with the introduction of movement using the WASD keys. The “League Next” project revolves around a structural transformation of the game, starting with the end of the current launcher client. Riot plans to update the main game engine to directly integrate the navigation client, effectively ending the long-standing separation between the two technological stacks. This fusion into a shared engine aims to address the game’s historical connectivity issues and enable the seamless rendering of complex elements, such as champion models, directly within the interface.

On the gameplay side, Summoner’s Rift will receive a complete visual overhaul alongside gameplay adjustments, while pre-game systems, most notably runes, are set for significant redesigns. Finally, the studio is focusing on a complete rework of the new-player experience to make the game more accessible, all powered by this new, more agile and efficient technical foundation. On all these points, the two representatives from Riot Games featured in the video stated that they will have “more to share sometime later this year between MSI and Worlds.”

Beyond appearances, developers are said to be rebuilding the game’s underlying technical architecture to improve flexibility and responsiveness for future updates, a long‑standing concern within the community.

In addition to these broader details, journalist Cecilia D’Anastasio, who authored the article, reports that an internal team reorganization has already been announced to support these upcoming changes. A point confirmed by the video released by the North American publisher, in which Riot explains that "at this point, the majority of the League team are now working on [this]."

According to several anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg, the initiative was driven by Riot Games’ growing concern that League of Legends is losing momentum, with one even stating that VALORANT "makes more money.”