Producer of World of Warcraft assumes Riot Games' MMO

On January 20, 2026, Riot Games strengthened its technical department with the hiring of Raymond Bartos, former producer of World of Warcraft, to act as senior producer of its highly anticipated MMO based on League of Legends. The project, originally announced over five years ago, underwent a complete "reset" in 2024, after co-founder Marc Merrill admitted that the team decided to rebuild the game from the ground up. The arrival of Bartos, who joins his former partner from Blizzard, Orlando Salvatore, indicates an attempt to accelerate development after years of stagnation.

The integration of genre veterans is a positive point, as it brings the necessary experience to deal with the complexity of a persistent world based on Runeterra. Bartos has a proven track record in managing large-scale releases, which may provide the stability that the project lost after the departure of Greg Street in 2023. Additionally, the focus on a unified ecosystem, which already includes successes like Arcane and Legends of Runeterra, suggests that Riot has the intellectual capital to sustain the technical ambition of the new title.

"I am incredibly excited to join Riot on the MMO team!!! I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to join such an inspiring group of people and I can't wait to get started - helping deliver an MMO experience that players will truly enjoy."

"Given our track record in World of Warcraft, I have a feeling we will be moving fast from day one."

However, the history of delays and lack of transparency from Riot Games are subject to severe criticism. It is regrettable that a project announced in 2019 is still in the process of hiring leadership after a complete restart in 2024. The argument that "no news is good news" seems insufficient for a studio that has seen other competitive projects move forward while its MMO remains in the dark. While the company focuses on the visual update "League Next" for the original game from 2009, the new title seems to be suffering from technical indecision that has lasted half a decade.

"Remember, 'no news is good news', as it means we are working hard, dedicating our hearts and souls to create something we hope you will love."

The hiring of Raymond Bartos may be the missing technical piece, but market skepticism is justified by the long period of silence and uncertainties about whether the game will ever reach the hands of the public.

Will the hiring of veterans from Blizzard be enough to break the Riot MMO from the cycle of constant restarts, or does the project risk being canceled before its first technical demonstration?