Report: Riot Games Canceled a Super Smash-Style Fighter
As hype continues to build for 2XKO, it appears League of Legends fans could have had another fighting game to look forward to. According to a report from Mikhail Klimentov, 70-80 employees were staffed on a Super Smash Bros. Melee-style platform fighter which was in development under the code name Pool Party. The name refers to a line of skins in League of Legends featuring characters with pool and summer-themed clothing and accessories.
SCOOP: Riot Games canceled work on a second fighting game, code-named Pool Party, in late May.
— ℳikhail Klimentov (@LeaderGrev) July 10, 2024
About 70-80 people were working on the project, a platform fighter in the vein of Smash Bros. Melee set in the League of Legends universe.https://t.co/dvXb17LVVy
The report states that the project faced internal struggles as it was originally envisioned as a competitive title similar to the current vision for 2XKO, but was made into more of a party game or casual experience over time.
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Multiversus may have also played a role. While the open beta for Warner Bros. IP mash up broke all manner of fighting game player base records, it quickly dropped off due to a variety of technical and gameplay issues. Outside of Smash itself, it is rare to see a platform fighter find long term success.
That said, the genre has its fair share of remarkable success stories. Brawlhalla continues to find new success as a Fortnite-style IP crossover and has reportedly reached more than 80 million players. Rivals of Aether garnered cult status and led to a successfully-funded Kickstarter for an upcoming sequel. The studio behind Rivals 2 also recently secured a unique and promising publishing partnership with Offbrand Games, headed up by popular content creators Ludwig Ahgren and PirateSoftware.
Given the overwhelmingly positive response to 2XKO thus far, it is sad to see that same hope and promise not given to the platform fighter space, which has long needed a proper contender the Super Smash Bros. hold over the genre.
Trent has covered esports since the birth of the LCS. He also led content strategy and served as Senior Writer for The Esports Observer and Sports Business Journal, and worked on the development team for Rushdown Revolt.