Riot Talks About The Future of Teamfight Tactics

Shoaib Akter Himel
By Shoaib Akter Himel
6 Min Read
Image Credit: Riot Games

Teamfight Tactics keeps evolving and is headed towards an interesting future; Riot Prism reflects on the game’s development.

Little did we imagine that a game, starting off as a side activity to League of Legends, would someday blow up to be one of the biggest hits of its genre. Ever since its inception in 2019, TFT (Teamfight Tactics) has kept growing with all types of new elements. From cute new little legends to item effects, TFT has managed to make everything so creative and FUN.

Riot Games introduces new “Sets” for TFT periodically. Each set comes with its unique roster of champions, synergies, and mechanics. This keeps the game fresh, as players need to adapt to the new meta with each set. When I played TFT for the first time back in 2019, there was a fairly limited pool of champions and items.

Compared to that with Set 9, it’s like a David vs Goliath phenomenon in terms of TFT’s evolution in just 4 years. Every new champion, item, augment, and summon has a unique role in the game. Riot Prism has recently talked about behind-the-scenes development stories of 2 such elements of TFT. His blog in the Dev update gives us an idea of where TFT is heading in the future.

In this article, I will try to give you an overview of how Riot designs and develops characters in TFT and how the art direction might look as the game evolves.

Read More: Teamfight Tactics Finally Gets Riot ID Support

Development of Baron and T-Hex

Back in Set 8, Baron was integrated into TFT gameplay. But Riot didn’t just copy-paste him from League of Legends. To give Baron a unique identity in TFT, they worked on creating custom mode, rig, animation, and SFX. To retain his ominous aura, they gave him a strong roar, similar to his form in LoL, before using his AoE stun.

Moreover, they exclusively designed the backside of Baron for TFT. In Summoner’s Rift, we are too busy throwing up team fights to care about seeing Baron’s back. While SR’s design doesn’t necessitate drawing that part, TFT does.

Design of Baron's Back Side exclusively for TFT
Image Credit: Riot Games

Not to mention, they also made custom animations for Baron’s acid-spitting ability and general VFX updates exclusive to TFT. That’s how Baron’s legacy saw new heights of design in Teamfight Tactics.

Another important addition was the T-Hex, straight from Legends of Runeterra (LoR). When it first came to TFT, it basically was like the Mecha Godzilla. It looked cool and all, but it lacked the spirit of League of Legends. So, Riot adjusted its art to fit the TFT universe. The mini T-Hex soon became an emotional support for the players.

When you have 2 big monsters like Baron and T-Hex on board, what comes to mind first? Yes, LET THEM DUEL. Riot had the same thought exactly. And to make that fantasy into a reality, they had to power up T-Hex with Hextech-infused electro-magical Laser Beam.

T-Hex shooting Hextech Laser Beam in TFT
Image Credit: Riot Games

Granted, they had to work on the VFX, SFX, and Animation all from scratch to fit into TFT. All this effort paid off big time. Super positive reception from the players and relevant community speaks for itself.

I personally like how Riot takes seemingly separate characters from different games and creatively integrates them into the same environment. On top of that, they do so with the right blend of uniqueness while being faithful to Baron and T-Hex’s legacy. No wonder TFT has heart put into it, and we love it so much for that.

Future Direction of Teamfight Tactics

More unique TFT characters like Silco to come in the future
image credit: Arcane (TV series) by fortiche studio

Developers are also aware that players love these creative endeavors that TFT unfolds consistently. Unique characters like Silco, Nomsy, and even Sohm have also seen great success in TFT. While designing unique characters from the bottom up requires tremendous effort, it is something that elevates the game to a new stage. So Riot is willing to put as much effort as needed to ensure top-notch voice lines, splash art, animation, narrative, and every aspect of the characters.

From here on out, Riot intends to keep up with this good work. You can be sure that they will be bringing more cross-game collaboration into TFT and integrating them seamlessly. With each new set, Riot plans to push the limit of their creativity with unique art and gameplay mechanics. They want everyone to be involved in TFT’s development, including the player community, as they have already done so.

Riot’s intention is clear. They are not satisfied with merely designing new units and their gameplay. They want to ensure all the other details. That includes lore, narrative in in-game events, and also the greater interconnected Runeterra. TFT is already building its own identity. Long gone are the days when it was just a ‘game mod’ to League of Legends. If they keep this up, who’s to say, maybe it will even be an inspiration for the game it was a side-part of.

By Shoaib Akter Himel League of Legends Writer
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Shoaib is a League of Legends writer at GameRiv. He is passionate about Video Games, Anime, Movies and TV series. He loves deeply analyzing the media he consumes.