Recent Project L presentation reveals new information about fighting game: Live service, jump cancels, button inputs, and more

Fighting game pro GamerBee was recently invited to a banquet concerning Project L. During this event, he, alongside others, was treated to a brand new demo video of Riot Games' upcoming fighting title, where they learned quite a bit about the video game. Through his Twitter handle, the Taiwanese fighting game pro shared relevant information (translated with ChatGPT) about it.

Thanks to this, quite a few exciting facts about the 2v2 fighter have been unveiled. While this information could potentially change throughout the game’s development cycle, it’s still quite interesting. GamerBee revealed what he knows so far, with Project L being a live service and a beginner-friendly title, but it remains complex enough for fighting game veterans, and much more.

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GamerBee reveals brand new information about Project L from a recent demo video

One of the biggest things revealed when it comes to the game direction of Project L is that it will be a “live service” game. According to GamerBee, this means that the game will have one iteration that will be updated regularly. This isn’t really a surprise, considering that most of Riot Games’ offerings follow the same pattern.

Furthermore, Project L has been confirmed to be a free-to-play game, although its current state is far from the quality of an official release or even a beta test. Translated with ChatGPT, Gamerbee's quote that was shared on Twitter is as follows:

“They want to create a 2v2 game with speed, distinct visuals, powerful attacks, and an easy-to-understand defense and counter system.”

It's been established for a long time that Project L will be a League of Legends fighting game, so that’s not really shocking news. However, they did mention that they would be picking champions that fit the fighting game mold. As a 2v2 fighting game, there are well over 140 League of Legends champions available at the moment, making it rather easy to build a vast roster that's full of fun characters.

When it comes to the actual game, a mechanic known as “Retreating Guard” was teased. This information came from ChatGPT, so it may not be 100% accurate. This particular move cancels a back dash while defending. If an opponent misses an attack, a player can counter them by a farther distance.

However, Retreating Guard has a vulnerability state, so if opponents predict that’s what you’re going to do in Project L, they can still counter-hit and punish you. GamerBee further stated that some other unrevealed defensive moves and mechanics will be detailed sometime in the future.

In addition, it’s been confirmed that Project L will have jump canceling. According to GamerBee, Normal moves can be canceled into a jump chain combo or a ground chain combo that features a launcher move, then followed up by a jump. Fighting game fans who have spent time in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will feel right at home with this system.

When it comes to the upcoming Riot Games 2v2 fighter, it won’t be too easy for veteran players, but it will also be approachable for new players. The biggest feature that will make this game approachable is the button input system.

“There will be three attack buttons for light, medium, and heavy attacks, along with other combination keys, and directional inputs for special effects. There won’t be any moves that require specific input commands, as all moves will be button+direction combinations.”

This means that players don’t have to memorize complicated The King of Fighters-style special inputs. Furthermore, players won’t have to worry about CC abilities, like in League of Legends, as well. The video further clarified that Rising Thunder’s cooldown system (the game that evolved into Project L) won’t be used, because it’s not fun to deprive players of their abilities.

Riot Games understands that a 2v2 fighter is a bit of a risk, but they're willing to take it anyway. Additionally, the title will have an esports scene, but there will be a limit on official tournaments and community tournaments. This is to prevent official tournaments from making community tournaments obsolete.

All of this is very interesting information, and it seems like Project L is genuinely shaping up to become something truly special. It’s currently unknown when the game will have a beta period, or when players will be able to get hands-on with it, but it sounds like it will most likely be fun for both beginners and veterans alike.