Looking to make the right moves before release, Riot’s Project L has brought on some FGC luminaries to help steer the game’s QA.
Details remain scarce about the much anticipated Riot fighting game Project L. Set in the League of Legends universe and utilizing an anime fighter game engine akin to Marvel vs Capcom, the game's progression remains a mystery. That said, we now know a bit more about the developer's plans. Riot's brought in well-known fighting game community (FGC) luminaries to help steer the Project L ship.
Revealed today by longtime Riot producer and FGC historian Pat "PatTheFlip" Miller were the FGC pros hired to a contract "Gameplay Analysis" team. Who was brought on board and what's their expertise? Safe to say, each has a long and winning history in the arena of tag-style fighters.
Project L: FGC pros on board
Let's run down the players contracted by the Project L team in a Gameplay Analysis role. The docket includes:
- Vineeth "ApologyMan" Meka: High ranking finishes in Marvel vs Capcom 3 at EVO; High-level player at Guilty Gear Strive, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Marvel vs. Capcom and BlazBlue.
- Dawn "Yohosie" Hosie: Active FGC player and commentator since 2015; Known for high-ranking finishes in Dragon Ball FighterZ and Persona 4 Arena.
- Josh "NerdJosh" Jodoin: Former member of Team Spooky, 20 year FGC veteran; Noted finishes include first place at Defend the North 2015 in Guilty Gear Xrd and fourth place in The King of Fighters XIV at CEO 2017.
- TheFunTaxx: FKA "AKA," Guilty Gear franchise veteran with a fourth place finish at EVO 2007 and a second place finish in Guilty Gear Accent Core at the EVO 2011 side tournament.
Quality Analysis at a glance
It comes as no shock that the commonality between all four players is their prowess in tag-style fighting games. This makes perfect sense, as Project L looks to join the FGC pantheon of fast-paced anime fighters such as Persona 4 Arena, BlazBlue, and more.
That latter knowledge comes from the game's early beginnings as Project Thunder. It started as a 2015 alpha release by Radiant Entertainment. Notably, former Capcom and employee Seth Killian and former EVO co-founders Tom and Tony Cannon headed its development. Riot bought out Radiant Entertainment in 2016.
What exactly is the "Gameplay Analysis" team? In the case of Project L, this probably means a quality assurance squad made up of FGC pros. They'll look to break the game down to its core. Par for the course are Infinite combos, glitches, bugs, quality control issues, and more.
With any luck this means we're getting closer to another look at what could be one of the biggest fighting games of next year. Best of luck to Project L, as its FGC competition has considerably leveled up in 2023.
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