League of Legends fighting game will be free to play and include champion Illaoi

gamesradar.com:

Project L, Riot Games' upcoming 2D fighting game based on League of Legends, will be free to play, the studio has confirmed.

In a dev update shared to YouTube on Monday, senior director Tom Cannon confirmed that Project L will be free to play, acknowledging that the news probably won't surprise longtime fans of the studio. 

"One of our goals is to remove as many barriers as possible from you enjoying Project L," said Cannon. "We want you to be able to play no matter where you live, what your skill level is, or how much money you have to spend on a game."

Of course, in 2022 it's pretty much expected that the devs behind a new free-to-play game touch on monetization, although Cannon only assured players that Riot will be "respectful of both your time and your wallet."

The dev team behind Project L also released a written update (opens in new tab) on the game that introduces its newest champion, the Kraken Priestess Illaoi. The game's narrative director, Scott "Jaredan" Hawkes, describes Illaoi's Project L incarnation as "a powerful and charismatic spiritual leader who inspires others to be their own unstoppable force" and someone who "turns heads and dominates a room with her physical presence and confident, purposeful swagger."

Game designer Caroline "Riot Shyvana" Montano explained that Illaoi will have tank-like stats with slower movements, heavier hits, and a "huge" hurtbox. 

"Illaoi is a strong and muscular woman who attacks with a giant totem, so it makes sense she would hit with her own physical strength, as opposed to hiding behind the power of her god or magical abilities.

Project L doesn't have a release date yet.

For what to play right now, don't miss our guide to the best PC games in 2022.