Bloomberg broke news December 18, 2025 that Riot Games is secretly developing League Next, a massive overhaul of League of Legends planned for 2027 that will completely remake the game’s visuals, integrate a new client directly into the experience, update character models and UI, and implement backend improvements to simplify future updates. Within hours, Riot confirmed the report with a video from executive producer Paul Bellezza and studio head Andrei van Roon detailing plans for the biggest update in the MOBA’s 16-year history while insisting this isn’t League of Legends 2 but rather a continuation of constant evolution for a game still played by over 100 million people monthly.
Not League of Legends 2 But Basically League of Legends 2
Riot is adamant that League Next isn’t a sequel, with executive producer Paul Bellezza stating we’re often asked if we’re gonna make League of Legends 2 some day, and the answer to that has been and remains, no. Instead, Riot frames this as the natural continuation of League’s constant updates, from new game modes and champion reworks to biweekly balance patches. However, the scope of changes planned for 2027 effectively amounts to a remake positioned as an update, similar to how Overwatch 2 launched as technically a sequel but functioned more like a massive patch.
The distinction matters for player retention and monetization. Calling it League of Legends 2 would create expectations about starting fresh, potentially losing players who invested thousands of hours and dollars into skins, champions, and progression. It also risks Counter-Strike 2 and Overwatch 2 style backlash where players felt betrayed when cosmetics didn’t transfer properly or gameplay changed too drastically. By positioning League Next as an update to the existing game, Riot sidesteps these controversies while achieving similar results.
Bloomberg’s sources described League Next as effectively a remake despite official messaging, with the update fully revamping the game’s visual aesthetic including characters, UI, and arenas alongside backend adjustments to streamline future development. Whether players view this as League 1.5 or secretly League 2 will depend on execution, but the scope clearly exceeds typical seasonal updates or even major overhauls like the recent runes system rework.
What Actually Changes in 2027
The 2027 update will deliver a full visual overhaul of Summoner’s Rift, League’s iconic three-lane map where billions of matches have been played since 2009. Every environmental asset, lighting system, texture, and visual effect gets updated to modern standards, transforming the map from its dated 2010s aesthetic to something competitive with contemporary MOBAs and multiplayer games. Riot hasn’t shown footage yet, but expect dramatic improvements in lighting, particle effects, texture resolution, and overall visual fidelity that make 2025 League look ancient by comparison.
Champion character models will receive comprehensive updates as part of the visual overhaul. League currently features 168 champions with wildly inconsistent visual quality reflecting when they were created, from gorgeous recent releases like Hwei to crusty originals like Ashe whose base model looks like a PlayStation 2 asset. The 2027 update presumably brings all champions to consistent modern standards, though whether this means complete model replacements or targeted improvements for the worst offenders remains unclear.
The new integrated client represents perhaps the most significant quality-of-life improvement, replacing the current system where you launch League through a separate application before loading into actual matches. The new client will be fully integrated with the in-game experience, eliminating the clunky two-step process where you select champions and runes in one program then load a completely different executable for actual gameplay. This integration should improve stability, reduce bugs caused by client-game communication failures, and streamline the overall experience.
Runes and pre-game choices are getting changes, though specifics remain vague. The current runes system replaced the old runes and masteries in 2017, so another overhaul suggests Riot identified fundamental problems with how players customize builds before matches. Whether this means entirely new systems, refinements to existing runes, or just quality-of-life improvements for the selection interface won’t be clear until Riot shares more details closer to launch.
The new player experience gets overhauled to make League more accessible for newcomers, addressing longtime criticisms that League is impossibly difficult to learn with 168 champions, hundreds of items, complex macro strategy, and toxic community members flaming beginners who don’t instantly master everything. Riot states this should be the best time ever to get your friends into League, suggesting significant changes to tutorials, matchmaking for new accounts, and potentially penalties for smurfing or toxicity toward obvious beginners.
The Backend Improvements Nobody Sees But Everyone Benefits From
Bloomberg reports that League Next includes backend technical improvements to simplify releasing future updates, addressing accumulated technical debt from 16 years of development where new features get built atop old systems never designed to support them. Every game eventually reaches the point where adding content becomes exponentially harder because you’re working around legacy code, outdated tools, and architectural decisions made before anyone knew the game would last two decades.
These backend improvements might not excite players the way shiny new visuals do, but they determine whether Riot can sustain League for another 15 years or if development eventually becomes unsustainably expensive and slow. Modernizing the codebase, updating tools and pipelines, and refactoring systems to be more modular all pay long-term dividends through faster development cycles, fewer bugs, and ability to implement features that current architecture makes impossible.
The integrated client likely requires substantial backend work beyond just UI changes. Currently, League runs two separate programs that communicate through networking protocols, creating opportunities for bugs, synchronization issues, and security vulnerabilities. A fully integrated experience probably means rewriting significant portions of both the client and game to operate as one cohesive application, which is non-trivial engineering work that players won’t directly notice but will benefit from through improved stability and performance.
The Internal Reorganization Nobody Wants to Discuss
Bloomberg’s report mentions that Riot has announced an internal reorganization alongside League Next development, though details remain scarce. Reorganizations typically signal leadership changes, team restructuring, or shifts in company priorities that management believes will improve efficiency or focus. However, they also create uncertainty for employees who don’t know if their roles will change, if they’ll get new managers, or if reorganization is code for preparing another round of layoffs.
Riot laid off 530 employees in January 2024, representing approximately 11 percent of its global workforce, citing unsustainable costs and too many projects underway. CEO Dylan Jadeja acknowledged accountability for the layoffs and stated Riot needed sharper focus on fewer priorities. Then in October 2024, Riot laid off 32 more employees including 27 from the League team, though co-founder Marc Merrill insisted this wasn’t about cost-cutting but ensuring the right expertise for League’s next phase.
The October layoffs happening on the League team while League Next ramps development raises uncomfortable questions about whether Riot is replacing experienced developers with cheaper alternatives, restructuring teams around new priorities that make certain roles redundant, or simply eliminating positions deemed unnecessary for the 2027 update. Merrill promised the League team will eventually be larger than today, but that doesn’t help people who lost jobs before the expansion happens.
This reorganization also occurs as Riot scales back non-core projects after the expensive failure of Legends of Runeterra, the League card game that never achieved commercial viability despite critical acclaim. Riot invested heavily in diversification including the $250 million Netflix Arcane series, but ultimately recognized it needed tighter focus on proven money-makers like League and Valorant. Whether this refocusing creates healthier sustainable development or just represents short-term cost-cutting that sacrifices innovation remains debatable.
Why 2027 and Why Now
The 2027 target gives Riot roughly two years from announcement to launch, which is tight for the scope described but achievable if significant work has already been completed internally. Bloomberg’s sources suggested League Next has been in secret development for a while, explaining why Riot could confirm it so quickly after the leak. Internal demos have reportedly been shown at Riot headquarters going back at least to 2024, with theories that the infamous 2025 will change League forever quote referred to this project before technical difficulties or staffing issues forced delays.
Riot faces mounting pressure to modernize League as the game shows signs of age despite remaining massively popular. Monthly active players reportedly number over 100 million with some estimates as high as 130-150 million, demonstrating League isn’t dying anytime soon. However, the player base isn’t growing like it did between 2010-2016, and League increasingly competes with newer titles featuring modern graphics, smoother onboarding, and quality-of-life features players expect in 2025 that didn’t exist when League launched in 2009.
The timing also aligns with League’s 20th anniversary in 2029, creating a potential marketing narrative where Riot transforms League for its third decade after two decades of dominance. Launching League Next in 2027 gives two years of stability and refinement before the big anniversary celebration, allowing Riot to showcase a fully modernized game rather than one in transition. This kind of long-term planning suggests Riot views League as an eternal franchise worth sustained investment rather than a declining asset to milk before abandoning.
The Skepticism About Whether This Actually Helps
Visual updates and new clients don’t fix fundamental problems that frustrate League players, including toxic community behavior, matchmaking quality issues, balance complaints about overpowered champions or items, and the hundreds of hours required to master game knowledge that casual players will never invest. Prettier graphics might attract new players briefly, but retention depends on gameplay experience, community culture, and whether beginners have fun getting stomped by smurfs and flamed by teammates who expect everyone to play perfectly.
The comparison to Overwatch 2 worries players who watched Blizzard promise massive PvE content then cancel it while charging for what amounted to a balance patch and cosmetic update. If League Next launches feeling like Riot just updated graphics and UI without meaningfully improving the game, backlash will be severe regardless of whether it’s technically called League 2 or positioned as an update. Players care about whether the game feels better to play, not whether marketing calls it a sequel or an expansion.
There’s also concern that development resources poured into League Next could have been spent on new content, balance improvements, or addressing longstanding community requests that get ignored while Riot works on visual overhauls most players didn’t ask for. The League community has wanted voice chat, better toxicity prevention systems, guild features, and countless gameplay improvements for years. If Riot delivers shiny new graphics in 2027 while continuing to ignore these requests, the response will be frustration that resources went toward cosmetic changes instead of substantive improvements.
FAQs
What is League Next?
League Next is Riot’s internal codename for a massive League of Legends overhaul planned for 2027. It includes a full visual remake of Summoner’s Rift, new integrated client, updated champion models and UI, runes changes, improved new player experience, and backend technical improvements. Riot insists it’s an update, not League of Legends 2.
When does League Next release?
League Next is targeting a 2027 release, approximately two years from Bloomberg’s December 18, 2025 report that leaked the project. Riot confirmed the update the same day Bloomberg published but didn’t provide a specific month or quarter for the 2027 launch window.
Will League Next cost money?
Riot hasn’t announced pricing, but since it’s positioned as an update to existing League of Legends rather than a separate game, it will almost certainly be free for all current players. League operates on free-to-play monetization through cosmetics, battle passes, and champion purchases, which will likely continue unchanged.
Will my skins transfer to League Next?
Yes, skins and all account progress should transfer since League Next is an update to the existing game rather than a separate title. This is precisely why Riot emphasizes it’s not League of Legends 2, to avoid Counter-Strike 2 and Overwatch 2 style controversies where cosmetic transfers created backlash.
How many people play League of Legends in 2025?
League of Legends has over 100 million monthly active players according to Bloomberg and Riot’s official statements. Some third-party estimates suggest 130-150 million monthly players with 8 million daily concurrent players worldwide, making it one of the most-played games globally despite being 16 years old.
Did Riot lay people off for League Next?
Riot laid off 530 employees in January 2024 and 32 more in October 2024, though the company claims the October cuts weren’t cost-related but about ensuring the right expertise for League’s future. Bloomberg reports Riot announced an internal reorganization alongside League Next, but details remain unclear.
Will League Next change gameplay?
Riot mentions a bit of new gameplay and changes to runes and pre-game choices, but specifics haven’t been revealed. The focus appears to be visual overhaul, technical improvements, and quality-of-life changes rather than fundamental gameplay redesigns that would alienate the existing player base.
Why not just make League of Legends 2?
Making a sequel risks losing players who invested thousands of hours and dollars into the original. It also creates expectations about starting fresh that might not align with Riot’s goals. Positioning League Next as an update lets Riot achieve similar modernization while maintaining continuity and avoiding controversies about cosmetic transfers or progress resets.
Conclusion
Bloomberg forcing Riot’s hand by revealing League Next demonstrates how difficult it is to keep massive game development projects secret in 2025 when hundreds of employees know details and industry reporters have extensive source networks. Riot clearly wanted to announce on its own schedule with polished marketing materials rather than scrambling to confirm a leak with a hastily recorded video offering vague details about changes still two years away. However, the early reveal might actually benefit Riot by managing expectations and gathering community feedback before committing to controversial decisions.
The scope of changes planned for 2027 is genuinely impressive for a 16-year-old game, suggesting Riot views League as an eternal franchise worth sustained investment rather than a declining asset to abandon for newer projects. Complete visual overhaul of Summoner’s Rift, updated champion models, integrated client, and backend technical improvements represent the kind of comprehensive modernization that most studios would simply call a sequel and charge full price for rather than delivering as a free update.
Whether League Next succeeds depends entirely on execution. Overwatch 2 promised similar comprehensive updates then delivered what felt like a balance patch with canceled features and monetization changes players hated. Counter-Strike 2 launched with missing features and technical problems that frustrated the community despite eventually stabilizing into a good game. League Next must avoid these pitfalls by actually delivering everything promised, maintaining gameplay that existing players love, and making the new player experience genuinely better rather than just prettier.
The business rationale makes sense even if execution risks remain high. League’s player base isn’t growing like it did between 2010-2016, and the game increasingly looks dated compared to newer titles with modern graphics and quality-of-life features. Comprehensive modernization in 2027 buys Riot another decade of relevance, positioning League to dominate MOBAs through its 20th anniversary in 2029 and potentially through 2035 if the update proves successful enough to sustain long-term engagement.
The internal reorganization and previous layoffs create uncomfortable subtext where Riot restructures teams and eliminates positions while simultaneously promising League’s biggest update ever requires eventually expanding the team beyond current size. Employees watching colleagues get laid off while management promises future growth have every reason to feel cynical about whether those promises materialize or if they’ll just face more cuts when priorities shift again.
For players, the announcement creates two years of anticipation and concern about whether Riot can deliver on promises. Visual improvements are nice, but League’s fundamental appeal comes from gameplay depth, competitive balance, and whether matches feel satisfying rather than frustrating. If League Next launches with gorgeous graphics but the same toxicity problems, matchmaking issues, and balance complaints that plague current League, the update will be judged a failure regardless of technical achievement.
The comparison to maintaining a 16-year-old MMORPG like World of Warcraft is apt – eventually you must decide between abandoning the aging codebase and starting fresh versus investing in comprehensive modernization that extends the game’s viable lifespan. Riot chose modernization, which is probably the right call given League’s continued massive popularity and the risks of convincing 100 million monthly players to migrate to a sequel. Whether this decision proves wise will be determined in 2027 when League Next either revitalizes the game for another decade or becomes another cautionary tale about overpromising and underdelivering.