League of Legends, the hit MOBA franchise created by RIOT Games, will be making the leap to physical trade card games in 2025 thanks to the rollout of Project K.
Project K shares much in common with Magic the Gathering, borrowing mechanics in a way that fans of the latter will feel very familiar with.
As laid out above by game director Dave Guskin and executive producer Chengran Chai, Project K supports 1v1 matches, but it can also include up to four players in 2v2 battles or free-for-all encounters. RIOT Games also has grand ambitions of expanding the reach of Project K by partnering with stores for local events in addition to larger national and international tournaments featuring the best players in the world.
Project K’s initial launch will take place in the Chinese market in early 2025. According to Polygon, RIOT wants Project K’s American launch to be as close as possible to the Chinese debut. But for now, there’s no firm date for Project K’s release in the United States.
Earlier this week, RIOT addressed some of the fan backlash it received over Viktor’s Arcane-inspired makeover in League of Legends. The company has also announced that League of Legends is introducing a seasonal model starting in January 2025. While Arcane wrapped up its two-season run on Netflix last month, Riot has indicated that more adaptations are on the way. They just won’t involve Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo, because the duo was paid $5 million after their plans to make a live-action League of Legends movie fell apart over creative differences.