DOTA player? DOTA developer and now independent studio Riot Games announced today that its upcoming Warcraft III mod turned full game League of Legends will be free-to-play. League of legends will also have a premium retail edition available for players with extra cash laying around.
League of Legends is an action-strategy game with roleplaying elements, fashion after the Warcraft III Defense of the Ancients game type. The player takes on a role of a Summoner, who calls forth a Champion to fight for him against other players. Riot has put a ton of work into developing the game, revealing new Champions on a regular basis and tightening up the graphics on level three, so the announcement that the game will be free-to-play comes as a bit of a surprise.
For those of you averse to not spending money, fear not! League of Legends has two currencies. Influence points are earned by simply playing the game, allowing players to purchase runes that will enhance their powers, much like experience points. Riot Points, on the other hand, are purchased using real currency and exchangeable for new Champions to play and cosmetic enhancements.
Riot Games is confident that their Riot Points won’t be able to purchase anything that would give one player a distinct advantage over another. They’d best keep a close eye on Champion balance then, as players will eat them alive if they sense money gives their opponents any sort of leg up.
When the game goes live in September, players will be able to download and play for free, or they can opt to purchase the League of Legends Collector’s Pack at their local game store, which offers exclusive Champion skins, new Champions, Riot Points, and Runes.
via Kotaku.com
