Riot was working on a Smash Bros-style fighting game, but MultiVersus helped convince it to pull the plug

GamesFightingLeague of LegendsRiot was working on a Smash Bros-style fighting game, but MultiVersus helped convince it to pull the plugWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Riot Games)

Word of the unannounced project comes from journalistMikhail Klimentov, who said that roughly 70-80 people were working on the game when Riot decided not to move ahead with it in late May. The game, codenamed Pool Party, was originally envisioned as a hardcore fighting game, according to the report, but evolved into something more casual over the course of its development, complete with “party game elements.”

Riot communications director Joe Hixson told Klimentov, “We always have a number of projects in various phases of R&D, and spinning projects up and down happens multiple times a year.”

MultiVersus rang up more than110,000 concurrent playerson Steam when it re-launched in May, but those numbers quickly dwindled: There are currently 4,750 people playing on Steam, which is a lot more than Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but far from a big hit.

Sources at Riot told PC Gamer the Pool Party project had actually been in intermittent development for a number of years already, predating games like All-Star Brawl and MultiVersus. MultiVersus didn’t directly drive the decision to cancel the project, the sources said, but Riot has noted that the genre in general has struggled to maintain players. They also said that despite the time put into it, Pool Party was not at the point where it was being given serious consideration as an esport.

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Riot’s been looking to branch out beyond League of Legends for a few years now, with spinoffs likeRuined King,Bandle Tale,Legends of Runeterra, andMageseeker. The effort has met with mixed success: The games have generally been well-received, but not huge hits, and Riotclosed its Riot Forge publishing labelearlier this year, citing a desire to focus on “fewer, high-impact projects.”

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