League of Legends MMO producer leaves Riot: 'It's the right time to hand over the reigns'

(Image credit: Riot Games)

Riot Games vice president Greg Street, the executive producer of the studio's in-development League of Legends MMO, is leaving the company. Street said that he wants to spend more time with his family, and that after nine years with Riot, "it's time for something new."

Street said in December 2022 that he was stepping away from Twitter following the death of his brother and expected loss of his father. Yesterday he returned, expressing gratitude for the support he's been shown during his absence and announced that he is stepping down from his position at Riot.

Hey internet. Thanks for all the support over the past few months while I was afkI am back now with some big news to share: I have decided to step down from my role at Riot GamesMarch 7, 2023

"A combo of personal and professional considerations led me down this path," Street tweeted. "We experienced some devastating personal losses last year and I want to be closer to my surviving family.

"But while I was on break I got to think a lot about my career. Grief has a way of really bringing into focus what matters the most to you (still don’t recommend it overall though). And after nine years at Riot it feels like it’s time for something new!"

Street may not have the high profile of, say, Todd Howard, but heading up a League of Legends-based MMO is obviously a huge job. We've seen nothing of the game so far, but Street has served up a couple of interesting moments connected to it, beginning with the official reveal, which came by way of a very casual Thursday tweet.

Greg Street confirms he's working on a RIot MMO — (Image credit: Greg Street (via Twitter))

In 2022, Street unintentionally wound people up by saying that "there is no guarantee this game will ship." That gave rise to some concern that development of the MMO was not going well, leading Street to clarify that he was speaking in big-picture terms—and that the MMO project was fine.

"There is no guarantee any game in this business will ship," Street said. "Anyone who makes that promise is essentially saying they will ship even if the game is disappointing. We won't ship a disappointing game."

Street's announcement prompted tributes and well-wishes from coworkers and colleagues including Riot co-founder and president Marc Merrill, Riot Forge creative director Rowan Parker, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra—Street spent six years as a systems designer on World of Warcraft before moving to Riot—and Warcraft creative advisor Chris Metzen.

Marc Merrill tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Marc Merrill (via Twitter))

Rowan Parker tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Rowan Parker)

Mike Ybarra tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Mike Ybarra (Twitter))

Chris Metzen tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Chris Metzen (Twitter))

Chadd Nervig tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Chadd Nervig (Twitter))

Justin Hanson tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Justin Hanson (Twitter))

Gaude Paez Morose tweets about Greg Street leaving Riot — (Image credit: Gaude Paez Morose (Twitter))

Street said that he plans to stay in game development, but didn't comment on what specifically he'll be getting up to next. As for the League of Legends MMO, he assured followers that it's "in good hands.".

"I said from the beginning that building a League of Legends MMO worthy of you all was going to be a long journey," he tweeted. "The most important job I could do as part of that was to build an amazing team, and while I try to stay humble overall, I will brag about this team all day!

"The MMO is in good hands and it’s the right time to hand over the reigns for the next phase," he tweeted. "I plan to stay in game development and I have had a number of exciting opportunities presented to me already. And I will be with you all playing the Riot MMO when it comes out."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.