Riot Games
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Riot Games unveils plans for League of Legends Classic after datamining leaks spring forth
Riot Games has officially confirmed League of Legends Classic, a mode featuring older character models, skins, runes, and maps, following datamining leaks. Studio head Andrei van Roon confirmed that original character kits will return, with more details promised during the MSI Finals esports event on July 11th.
Valorant's Neon is "curbed" for now, but Riot says "balancing her is definitely challenging"
Riot Games is discussing the challenges of balancing the agent Neon in Valorant, with Lead Agent Designer Dan Hardison and Agents & Live Product Manager Tiffy Tsay acknowledging her speed and movement abilities have been difficult to manage. Recent changes aimed to improve the 'playing against' experience by adjusting her High Gear ability and fuel replenishment, which has been considered a success in curbing player frustration and increasing agent variety.
League of Legends Classic is real: "This was the right time"
Riot Games has officially announced League of Legends Classic, a mode that returns the game to its earlier state, including classic Runes and Summoner Mastery trees. The announcement was made via a developer update video featuring Executive Producer Paul Bellezza and Head of League Studio Andrei van Roon, after details were accidentally leaked onto the PBE. The Classic mode will feature updated "modern tech under the hood" and will be integrated into the same client as the current game.
Danger Zone
Riot Games is changing its controversial always-on requirement for the Valorant anti-cheat software, Riot Vanguard. A new on-demand mode will be introduced, which will require a strict Windows 11 security stack. This change aims to address player concerns about the anti-cheat's constant presence.
Valve has "a nice thing going on on PC," Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney says, but "they're missing out on a lot of opportunity" without the likes of Fortnite and Genshin Impact
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes Valve's Steam platform is missing significant opportunities by not including popular games like Fortnite and Genshin Impact. He argues that Steam's closed ecosystem limits its reach compared to more open platforms like the Epic Games Store and Microsoft Store, suggesting Valve could benefit from a more collaborative approach to digital distribution on PC.
PAX West 2026 Welcomes Riot Games’ Marc Merrill as Storytime Speaker
Riot Games Co-Founder Marc Merrill has been announced as the storytime speaker for PAX West 2026, which will take place at the Seattle Convention Center from September 4-7, 2026. Merrill, instrumental in the creation of games like League of Legends and VALORANT, will share a retrospective of his career. The event will also feature game demos, panels, concerts, and tournaments.
League of Legends' Vanguard anti-cheat finally gets the option to only run when you fire up a game, as Riot roll out "on-demand sessions" for "sufficiently secured" PCs
Riot Games has introduced an optional 'on-demand' mode for its Vanguard anti-cheat software in League of Legends and Valorant. This new feature allows Vanguard to run only when a game is active, rather than starting with the PC, for users whose systems meet modern security requirements. Players with older hardware that does not meet these requirements will continue to use the always-on version of Vanguard.
There's a surprising amount of major games you can't play on Valve's Steam Machine - here are eight of the biggest, and why
Valve's Steam Machine, despite its potential, faces significant limitations due to its SteamOS (a Linux variant) not supporting many popular games. This is primarily caused by anti-cheat software, which is incompatible with Linux, rendering titles like Destiny 2, Fortnite, Battlefield 6, Apex Legends, GTA Online, EA Sports FC 24, and modern Call of Duty games unplayable. While installing Windows is an option, it defeats the purpose of the console-like device.
You can finally turn Riot's Vanguard anti-cheat off when you're not playing a game
Riot Games is updating its Vanguard anti-cheat system to an 'on demand' model, meaning it will only run when playing League of Legends or Valorant and will shut down afterward. This change requires modern PC hardware and specific Windows security features like UEFI Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled. The update aims to reduce the intrusiveness of the kernel-mode software while maintaining its effectiveness against cheaters.
Tim Sweeney says only hope for new games is to 'connect to economies of other games'
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney believes that connecting virtual economies between different games is the only way for new titles to succeed against established giants like Fortnite and Roblox. He suggests that enabling players to transfer in-game items and investments across games, even those from different companies, will reinvigorate the market and drive player engagement towards in-game purchases over buying full games.
Riot walks back putting League of Legends' controversial 'last hit indicators' into ranked play, for now
Riot Games has reversed its decision to implement controversial 'last hit indicators' into ranked League of Legends play following significant community backlash. The feature, which marks when minions are within lethal damage range, will remain in non-ranked modes for further testing and data collection. The company stated that while they believe the tool doesn't degrade skill expression, they will gather more feedback before making a final decision on its inclusion in ranked matches.
VALORANT Heads To The Mountains With Summit, Retakes And A Fresh New Act
Riot Games has launched Season 2026 // Act 4 for Valorant, introducing the new 'Summit' map set in China and a 3v3 'Retake' game mode. The update also includes the Blackspyre cosmetic collection and a new Battlepass, available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
SATIATE YOURSELF THIS SUMMER WITH WILD RIFT PATCH 7.2: FEAST ON!
League of Legends: Wild Rift Patch 7.2, titled 'Feast On,' is set to release on July 9th UTC, introducing new champions Yunara and Cho'Gath, a visual update for Ahri, and a new AAA ARAM season. The patch also features gameplay changes including a rework of active items and the bounty system, alongside summer-themed updates to Summoner's Rift and new rewards for Ranked and Wild Pass.
MMO Business Roundup: Pocketpair rejects AI tools, Valorant opens a pub, and Epic Games Store unveils updates
This MMO business roundup covers several industry updates, including Pocketpair's rejection of AI development tools, Riot Games opening a temporary Valorant-themed pub in London for an esports event, and Epic Games Store announcing "Launcher V2" with personalized store pages and other improvements planned over the next year.
Riot went a bit "out there" with some of League of Legends' recent champions. Locke is a welcome return to what players "want."
Riot Games is releasing a new League of Legends champion named Locke, designed to be a more traditional assassin with a unique ultimate that can permanently increase its execution cap. Lead Game Designer Blake Smith explains that the team is intentionally returning to more familiar mechanics after a period of creating highly experimental champions. Locke aims to provide a distinct yet familiar experience for players, with clearer visual cues for his abilities to mitigate player frustration.
Start Your Climb in Act 4 with Summit, VALORANT's New Map
Riot Games has revealed Summit, a new map for VALORANT, launching on June 24, 2026. The map is set in a Chinese mountain academy and features droppable walls that alter sightlines and rotations. Act 4 also introduces the Retake game mode and the Blackspyre Collection weapon skins.
Game Crossovers and Collaborations
Riot Games is hosting a Valorant-themed 'pub' event in east London, promoted by a British takeaway personality. The article also briefly mentions that Tom Cruise was considered for the role of Master Chief in Halo.
For some reason, Riot Games is creating a Valorant 'pub' in east London hosted by a British takeaway guy who likes to yell "bosh!"
Riot Games is hosting a Valorant-themed pub event in East London from June 19-21, featuring British personality 'Big John'. The event at The Phoenix Arms will offer free screenings of the Valorant Masters tournament, custom merchandise, and a 'quintessential British matchday pub' atmosphere, though drinks will not be free.
gamescom dev announces opening keynote by Amir Satvat and first program highlights
gamescom dev 2026 has announced its first program highlights, including an opening keynote by Amir Satvat on the future of the games industry. The event will feature new curated tracks for Animation, Level Design, and AI, with initial speakers and sessions revealed. The conference, taking place August 23-25 in Cologne, aims to bring together global industry professionals.
Crytek Strengthens Global Publishing with Appointment of Zoher Toutanji as Chief Publishing Officer
Crytek has appointed Zoher Toutanji as its new Chief Publishing Officer to lead global publishing operations and expand the company's self-publishing capabilities. Toutanji, formerly of IO Interactive, Riot Games, Square Enix, and Ubisoft, will oversee publishing strategy and commercial operations, supporting Crytek's live-service portfolio and future titles like Hunt: Showdown. This move is part of Crytek's long-term strategy to strengthen its global commercial presence and drive sustainable growth.