Counter-Strike rival “Project A” announced by League of Legends developer

Riot Games made quite the splash overnight with a bevy of announcements celebrating the 10th anniversary of its mega popular MOBA, League of Legends.

Not only was the game’s 146th playable champion teased, LoL’s developer took the opportunity to announce multiple new games. These include Wild Rift – a version of League built specifically for consoles and mobile – as well as Teamfight Tactics for mobile, Legends of Runeterra, and even a fighting game.

One announcement that specifically caught our attention was “Project A”, Riot’s upcoming hero shooter that has come completely out of nowhere.

The game doesn’t have an official title for name yet underlines the studio’s push to create new game beyond its landmark MOBA.

Project A has a stylish sci fi twist and is set on a near future earth. Much like Overwatch and Paladins, it features a cast of characters, each with their own gameplay abilities that can be used to cause mayhem on the battlefield.

In the gameplay trailer we see characters creating barriers, ice walls, decoys, and force fields, others capable of huge leaps while throwing knife life projectiles.

What’s interesting about Riot’s own take on the online FPS genre is that there’s a focus on incredibly precise gunplay and a low TTK (time to kill), emulating more tactical entries in the genre such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege as well as Valve’s Counter-Strike.

On paper it sounds like a strange crossover between two very different ends of the FPS spectrum. What fans love about tactical shooters is their boots on the ground, gimmick free approach. However, Riot is clearly confident they’re onto a winner here and we’re intrigued to hear more.

Another interesting highlight is how the game will actively shutdown cheaters using aimbots and other hacks from day one.

The team behind Project A are going “heads down” for now, promising updates and teases in 2020.