The Rise and Fall of Riot Games’ Super Smash Bros. Melee-inspired Project

Riot Games, known for its immensely popular game League of Legends, recently made an attempt to break into the brawler genre dominated by the Super Smash Bros. series. The team was working on a project codenamed ‘Pool Party’, which was inspired by the mechanics of Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, this ambitious project met an unfortunate end in late May when Riot decided to cancel it.

According to journalist Mikhail Klimentov, Riot Games made the decision to cancel ‘Pool Party’ after a reassessment of consumer interest in a Smash competitor. The failure of other similar projects, such as MultiVersus, also played a role in the cancellation. Riot Games had high hopes for ‘Pool Party’ and even saw an opportunity to build an esports scene around the game, but ultimately the executives were spooked by the lack of enthusiasm from the target audience.

With approximately 70-80 employees working on ‘Pool Party’, the cancellation had significant repercussions within Riot Games. Half of the team members were reassigned to other projects, while some are in the process of finding new positions within the company. This move showcases the volatile nature of game development, where projects can be scrapped at any stage, leaving developers in a precarious position.

Looking Towards the Future

Despite the setback of ‘Pool Party’, Riot Games is still moving forward with its new fighter game 2XKO (formerly known as Project L). This new project, set to launch in 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, represents a more traditional fighting game experience. It will be interesting to see how Riot Games handles the development of 2XKO after the cancellation of ‘Pool Party.

The cancellation of Riot Games’ Super Smash Bros. Melee-inspired project serves as a cautionary tale for game developers venturing into the brawler genre. While the allure of creating a game to rival the likes of Super Smash Bros. may be strong, the reality of consumer interest and market demand can be unpredictable. It remains to be seen whether any developer outside of Nintendo will be able to match the quality and success of the Smash series.