Is League of Legends an MMO?

League of Legends is no doubt one of the most popular online games in the world, and it has been for at least the past decade. Whether it be with casual players or on a professional esports stage, League of Legends always seems to push the boundaries when it comes to multiplayer games.

The game is massive, the game is multiplayer, and the game is online. So surely League of Legends must be an MMO title, right? Well, not exactly. Here, let us explain to you if League of Legends is actually an MMO game.

Is League of Legends an MMO title? 
 

Well the short answer is no. League of Legends is not an MMO game. MMO stands for Massively Multiplayer Online, which League of Legends is, but to understand this, we recommend changing the way you think about game categories for a second.

Whilst yes, League of Legends is massive, multiplayer, and online, think of the acronym of MMO as a title for a genre, rather than an actual depiction of what the words stand for.

More often than not, when it comes to game genres and categories, the term MMO is often followed by the term RPG, which stands for Role Playing Game.

This comes together to make the genre of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Whilst in League of Legends you do play characters, you don’t have the role of controlling one character, immersed in the world, and just living in it.

Games like this include huge titles such as World of Warcraft, Lost Ark, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. As you can see, these don’t need to be fantastical in theme, or even in first person, but they do need to have a unique character that each player controls and customizes, whilst exploring the world.

This is something League of Legends does not have, as you repeatedly jump into the same battle arena over and over again for thousands of games on end. But what genre does League of Legends fall under, if it isn’t an MMO?

What game genre is League of Legends?
 

We actually just teased it above this, did you spot it? League of Legends is a MOBA. What does MOBA stand for? Well, MOBA stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena.

These kinds of games require the player to control a character - a champion in League of Legends - who possesses a unique kit or skillset - abilities - and uses them to try and complete objectives to win that specific match in the arena - killing the Nexus.

The player will then jump right back into another completely separate match with the aim to do the exact same thing, and then rinse and repeat this cycle with no end in sight, which is why League of Legends is really so addictive.

This is essentially the perfect definition of League of Legends, endlessly jumping into games playing unique (arguably) champions, trying to kill the enemy Nexus, which if you are in the right queue, will gain you rewards at the end of a select period of time.

Other games that are MOBA titles are Dota 2, Smite, and Pokémon Unite, so if you play those, you will understand that whilst the games very much have their differences, they are all fundamentally the same, with the same objective in every game.

Is League of Legends an RPG title? 

League of Legends is not an MMORPG, or even an RPG title as the game lacks a few different things to be classified as one.

An RPG requires three main things:

1. Story/narrative development
2. Free decision making
3. Character development

None of these are really in League of Legends. Sure, you can decide to run it down and int your games, and the lore of League of Legends is constantly progressing, and yes characters can get reworks and development happens in that process, but these do not fulfill the categories in the correct way.

In an RPG, you can often choose your decisions, roam wherever you want (if the game is open world) and anything you do can lead you down a unique path. Your decisions also massively affect the story of your character, changing them and developing them in a certain way. In League of Legends, you have no control of the story of your champion, that falls solely to Riot Games and their creative teams. 

Will there be a League of Legends MMORPG?