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Riot Games is working on an esports manager game that will allow fans to create their own teams in-game and build an esports organization from scratch. The publisher announced the game almost two years ago and it was finally revealed at the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) 10-year anniversary celebrations. In the reveal video, Riot Games global producer, Kate Han showed off the in-game mechanics of LoL Esports Manager. The game will take advantage of League match-data from the pro scene to simulate results in-game to offer an immersive experience to players.
What to expect from LoL Esports Manager
The League of Legends (LoL) Esports Manager title is currently in development but there is no official release date just yet. The game is similar to titles like Football Manager and Tennis Manager, where you get to be a the “manager” and control all aspects of an organization. In League of Legends’ Esports Manager, you will own a League team and will get to sign players, prepare them for matches, and more. How you manage your business will dictate the success of your team.
The game will make use of artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate your games and predict results, using real-life esports data. Similar to FIFA, players will be able to obtain esports athletes who will have their own performance ratings.
LoL Esports Manager could adopt a gacha model where you have to rely on luck to obtain players. Gacha games deploy lootbox-like mechanics to obtain characters with FIFA’s FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) mode and Genshin Impact being popular examples. The players showcased in the trailer have not just statistical ratings but also star ratings, which could mean that you may need luck on your side to get the best players on your team.
LoL Esports Manager also will reinvest back into the esports ecosystem. Starting with the LPL, a portion of the revenues from LoL Esports Manager will go back to pro teams featured in the game, allowing the sport as a whole to share in the success. The title was originally scheduled for release in 2020, but it is not yet available. With the publisher finally revealing the title, we may be close to its release.
