Legends of Runeterra only launched in open beta last week, but Riot Games is already working on a roadmap that will lead them to 2022, according to executive producer Jeff Jew. In our big interview, which you can read here (opens in new tab), Jew talks a great deal about Riot's plans for the future, including new sets of cards and ways to play them.
"We’re also working on multiple sets right now," Jew said. "I can’t go super deep into what those sets are or how many there are, but several of them are nearly done at this point. We’re balancing them still, we have a little art to do, but they’re real sets. We’re playtesting them."
Similarly, Jew confirmed the team is also investigating and prototyping some new game modes. Right now players can participate in standard ranked and casual matchmaking, matches against AI opponents, or Runeterra's unique twist on drafting, but Jew expects new modes to be added eventually. "We are actually in the early development of a few ideas for modes—nothing I can talk about today—but our goal is to make the game feel fresh and let you use your cards in different ways."
That Riot is thinking this far ahead is good news, because Legends of Runeterra is actually a lot of fun—if you're not already sick to death of card games, that is. It's easily the most generous free-to-play game I've played in a long time, with a unique progression system that rewards cards at a very steady pace. Jew said he expects that free-to-play players will be able to own "60 to 70 percent" of the initial set after just a month of regular play.
That's good news for my wallet too, though it also means that Legends of Runeterra will need a steady influx of new cards on a regular basis, since players will be earning them far more reliably than, say, cracking open booster packs in Hearthstone. It is nice, however, to play a card game where I can still be competitive without spending money.
For more on Legends of Runeterra check out the full interview (opens in new tab), which dives into how Riot plans to balance the meta, what changes are coming to the open beta, and more. We'll also have a full review of Legends of Runeterra next week.
