Excitement among fans for a global release of a new physical card game featuring characters from League of Legends was swiftly dampened by a subsequent update just an hour later. Originating from the iconic MOBA, the League of Legends universe has gradually been branching out into various media forms. The Netflix show Arcane, in particular, has garnered significant acclaim beyond the traditional League of Legends fanbase. Meanwhile, other ventures such as Legends of Runeterra, Teamfight Tactics, and assorted smaller games have experienced varying levels of success.
According to a report by Valorant News on X (previously known as Twitter), a Chinese trailer for a League of Legends-themed card game called Rune Battlegrounds sparked excitement with hints at a potential worldwide release in 2025. However, shortly thereafter, a tweet from Riot Games employee Joe Hixson dispelled these rumors, clarifying that “there aren’t any plans for a worldwide release at this time.”
Hixson did acknowledge that “it’s possible things could change,” but it has been confirmed that currently, there are no plans to release the card game outside China.
LoL’s Physical Card Game Likely Won’t See a Global Release
Rune Battlegrounds Set for China-Only Launch in 2025
Although the news of Rune Battlegrounds being exclusive to China is disheartening, it is not entirely surprising. China represents the largest market for League of Legends. Additionally, the existing LoL card game, Legends of Runeterra, has been one of the less prosperous attempts by Riot to expand the LoL intellectual property beyond its MOBA origins. The game’s support has been waning, with a noticeable pivot towards player-versus-environment content.
Despite still being actively supported, Legends of Runeterra underwent a significant development shift in a 2024 update, which reduced the development team’s size and scaled back on player-versus-player elements due to low revenue.
Other titles based on the LoL intellectual property, such as the narrative-driven Song of Nunu, the 2D platformer Convergence, and various games from the short-lived Riot Forge publishing label, have seemingly not met Riot’s expectations. Riot Forge officially closed in January 2024, five years after its inception, with Bandle Tale, released the following month, marking its final output. While successes like TFT and Arcane have been notable, Riot may be cautiously observing Rune Battlegrounds’ performance in China before considering a global launch.
Despite the buzz from an eye-catching teaser and speculation about a global release, Rune Battlegrounds will remain a China-exclusive title upon its 2025 launch, with no current plans for international availability. The exact reason for this exclusivity remains unstated, but considering the mixed outcomes of League of Legends media ventures beyond the original game, Riot might be opting to evaluate the card game’s success in China first before deciding on a global rollout.
Sources: ValorINTEL/X, JoeHixson/X
