League of Legends Adopting Free-to-play Model

Joining the ranks of other free-to-play experiments like Battlefield Heroes and Dungeons & Dragons Online, Riot Games today announced that its upcoming multiplayer title League of Legends will be entirely free.

League of Legends, an avatar-based RTS modeled on the Warcraft III mod Defense of the Ancients, is faced with competing against several similar titles, in addition to the free mod that inspired them.

While the game will be free to play, there will be some monetized aspects. Riot Points will be available for purchase, and can be spent to further customize character visuals, though this customization will not affect gameplay. The company will also offer a Collector's Pack that contains exclusive items for $30 when the game is released in September.

More details on Riot Points and Collector's Pack below:

Influence Points will be earned by simply playing the game, while Riot Points will be available for purchase with real money. Both currencies will be used to unlock additional content customization options, whereas only Influence Points will be used to unlock content such as Runes, which enhance the power of playable characters. Gamers who spend money in the game will not have a power advantage over other players; they will have access to rare visual customization options. The system is designed to empower the player with a huge number of mechanical choices that deepen the level of the strategic thinking in the game.

Riot Games will also offer a League of Legends Collector's Pack that contains exclusive items, such as two unique Champion skins, as well as a number of Champions, Runes and Riot Points. Players who pre-order the Collectors Pack at www.leagueoflegends.com or at retail outlets GameStop and Best Buy will also receive an exclusive Champion skin that will only be available with the pre-order. The Collector's Pack will retail for $29.99.