Which company developed and published League of Legends?

Which company developed and published League of Legends? Riot Games. The California-based studio created the game and has operated as both its developer and publisher since its release in 2009.

Riot Games was founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill. The founders wanted to build a standalone game inspired by Defense of the Ancients, a popular custom map for Warcraft III. League of Legends was announced in 2008 and launched on October 27, 2009, as a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena.

The game’s business model was unusual in Western markets at the time. Instead of charging for the game itself, Riot sold optional cosmetic content and later expanded the League universe through esports, animation, music, and spin-off games. Tencent became a major investor and eventually acquired Riot, but Riot Games remains the company credited with developing and publishing League of Legends.

A common mix-up is confusing Riot with Tencent, which owns Riot, or with other studios involved in League-related projects. The original PC game itself is Riot’s creation.