Riot Games Reportedly Canceled an Unannounced Project in May

Riot Games has reportedly canceled development on a prototype platform fighter game codenamed Pool Party in late May, affecting approximately 70-80 employees involved in the project.

According to Mikhail Klimentov from ReaderGrev, the original concept for Pool Party was said to be a platform fighter game, similar to Super Smash Bros, and it was set within the League of Legends universe. Over time, the vision for "Pool Party" had shifted from a hardcore fighting game to "include party game elements and casual-friendly mechanics", which resulted in frustration among some team members.

The final cancellation of Pool Party was partially due to a reevaluation of the market's demand for a competitor to Super Smash Bros. The underperformance of MultiVersus, Warner Bros.' free-to-play fighting game, reportedly had "spooked "executives at Riot and therefore influenced their decision. 

Sources of Mikhail Klimentov indicate that approximately half of the team was given the chance to move to other roles within the studio, while the rest were looking into other job opportunities through the company's internal job board. However, approximately 10 people had neither been offered roles, nor were in the process of internal applications, potentially leading to layoffs or voluntary departures.

Joe Hixson, Riot Games' Senior Comms Director, commented on the nature of such decisions:

You can check out the original report by Mikhail Klimentov here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.