Riot announces 5 games coming to Xbox Game Pass this winter
Renowned video game developer Riot Games have announced that five of its popular titles are heading to the Game Pass this winter.
The five games featured in the Game Pass are League of Legends and its mobile version, League of Legends: Wild Rift, VALORANT, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics.
The announcement was made at Microsoft’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022 by Riot Games President Marc Merrill. Along with the titles, he provided some details on what Game Pass subscribers can look forward to.
Characters to be available for free
The Game Pass subscription plan gives players access to Riot’s PC and mobile games and several in-game perks if they play through Microsoft’s platform.
The full roster of champions will be unlocked in League of Legends for PC and League of Legends: Wild Rift for mobile. The Game Pass version of League of Legends has every champion unlocked, meaning that gamers can choose from over 160 characters. This also applies to its mobile version, Wild Rift, which currently boasts over 80 champions.
Valorant will also be included in Game Pass, for those who prefer something similar to Overwatch’s hero abilities mixed with CS:GO’s gunplay. VALORANT Game Pass unlocks all agent characters. All 18 of the current roster agents are included in the Game Pass version as well.
Lastly, players will also be able to play the strategy card game Legends of Runeterra and the auto-battle game Teamfight Tactics. PC and mobile players of Legends of Runeterra will have access to the Foundations card set, while Teamfight Tactics PC and mobile players can choose from a selection of Little Legends characters.
What was said
Riot Games based its monetization scheme on people wishing to buy in-game items. In addition to cosmetic items such as skins, players can also unlock Champions in League of Legends or Agents in VALORANT by spending money.
Players can acquire these characters by playing, but the duration it takes to unlock them is time-consuming. The most obvious example is League of Legends, which offers over a hundred choices, so making them all available for free on Game Pass will be massive.
With so much content included as part of the subscription, Game Pass is a great way for players who are interested in Riot’s titles to discover them without having to make a huge investment. It also highlights an aspect of Game Pass that gets brushed over sometimes—connectivity with mobile gaming.
A number of games can be streamed to mobile devices through Game Pass, and the inclusion of Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics suggest that Xbox is emphasizing this feature more.
“We’ve always respected Xbox’s relentless push to drive gaming forward, and we’re proud to add our games to the Xbox catalog through Game Pass,” said Merrill.
“We’re also thrilled to welcome Xbox players into Riot’s ecosystem of diverse and passionate gamers across the world. In the coming months, we’ll share more about the partnership and how members can access the Game Pass content. For more information on Riot’s biggest titles coming to Game Pass, stay tuned to riotgames.com and Xbox Wire.”
