After an age of warfare, the superpowers of the land of Valoran have come together to form a governing body that will settle all disputes behind the closed doors of the Institute of War. Their task is a noble one — to lift the impossible weight of bloody war off the shoulders of the world and place it upon a select few — The League of Legends. On the Fields of Justice, legendary Champions forge alliances and resolve their differences in battle arenas. In the League there is one rule that reigns over all else: Winner rules all.

In League of Legends, players take on the role of a persistent Summoner avatar that gazes upon the battlefield from above and influences battles by taking command of a chosen Champion. During each online multiplayer play session, gamers will choose one of dozens of unique Champions wielding diverse skills and abilities, and engage in fast-paced team-oriented combat to bring their foes to ruin. Champions will gain levels, items, and abilities that enable them to slay their opponents and augment the strength of their allies by battling with enemy minions, foul beasts, deadly turrets and enemy Champions. Players also advance their Summoner’s rank and power to gain new abilities and items, assisting their Champions in battle.

League of Legends emphasizes team-oriented gameplay and players must work together in order to defeat the opposing team. Players will be able to communicate easily through in-game lounges and chat rooms, and forums will act as a conversational hub for a wide variety of discussions amongst community members. League of Legends will feature custom-built multiplayer support including matchmaking, stat tracking, clan support, anti-cheat systems, dedicated in-game ladders and Leaverbuster technology. In addition to extensive multiplayer features, League of Legends will include a single-player mode where players can learn how to play and practice new strategies by engaging robust Bot-AI.

As Director of Systems Design, Tom Cadwell heads up mechanics, balance and systems for the project. Cadwell comes to Riot with more than 10 years of design experience. At Blizzard Entertainment, Cadwell managed play balance for Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and was a key designer on a number of game systems and zone and dungeon polish for World of Warcraft (WoW). Prior to joining Riot, Tom also received his MBA from Kellogg and a BS in Computer Science from MIT.

Shawn Carnes comes to Riot with more than 15 years of design expertise, as Lead Creative Designer, where he is responsible for managing the League of Legends intellectual property. Most recently Carnes was Blizzard’s Lead Developer of Licensed Products having built and managed the WoW trading card game and the Starcraft board game. As a game designer on World of Warcraft, he has also led the design of WoW's reputation system, as well as a significant number of WoW's quests and world events. Shawn also spent a number of years at Wizards of the Coast where he worked on the development of such blockbuster games as Magic: the Gathering, Pokemon and the 3rd Edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

"Tom and Shawn are two amazingly talented guys who augment our already potent development team," said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games. "Both will play an important role in the continuous evolution of Riot Games as a premier online videogame developer / publisher as we build our product portfolio."

“Working at Riot Games is one of those once in a lifetime opportunities that is just too good to pass up. I am working with people that I’ve worked with in the industry before,” said Shawn Carnes, “this place is a powerhouse of awesome.”

Key Features :

• Play as dozens of unique Champions with diverse skills and abilities while engaging in fast-paced team-oriented combat.
• Compete in a variety of highly stylized and unique handcrafted battle scenarios.
• Create your own persistent Summoner avatar and customize your appearance through achievements that you earn in game.
• Advance your Summoner in rank and power to gain skills and abilities that give you an edge in battle.
• Join clans and teams to compete with other players in tournaments and organized leagues.
• Assemble Legendary items for your Champion by forging together basic items you obtain on the battlefield. Choose from over 200 uniquely crafted items to augment your Champion's power.
• Robust matchmaking and detailed stat tracking help to ensure balanced games for new players and veterans alike.
• Unlock new content through persistent gameplay and mastering the game.
• Integrated LeaverbusterTM technology helps ensure people stay for the whole game!
• Participate in the creation of League of Legends through our Suggestion Engine the community will have an unprecedented voice in what new content is created and implemented into the game.
  And much, much more...

The League of Legends community will feature an abundance of ongoing events including tournaments, leagues and contests. The Riot development team will open their doors for community input, allowing gamers to have their opinions heard, have their ideas implemented in League of Legends and continue to shape the game as it evolves post-launch. Gamers can already join the community forums to begin tracking the new title, engage with the Riot team and other players and become a part of the development process for League of Legends.

League of Legends is being designed by a decorated group of developers with credits that include PC & console blockbusters, as well as part of the team that created the popular Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars. Riot will invite players into the League of Legends beta in 2009.