“One of our goals is to remove as many barriers as possible from you enjoying Project L,” explained developer Tom Cannon in a new video, which can be watched below. “We want you to be able to play, no matter where you live, what your skill level is, or how much money you have to spend on a game.” Meanwhile, Cannon has said the Project L team will be “respectful” of its players’ “time and wallet” when it comes to monetisation. As well as this news, Cannon also introduced a new champion for the game - Illaoi, the Kraken Priestess. Cannon describes her as a “physical powerhouse”, who “tests the strength of souls for her tentacled god.” A blog post all about Illaoi has given us more detail about Project L’s upcoming champion, who made her debut in League of Legends nearly seven years ago. “Our ultimate goal is to have a diverse and inclusive roster where everyone can find a champion that truly speaks to them,” says game director Shaun Rivera. He continued, “we want players to see a champion in Project L do something they’ve never seen before, and think ‘Holy shit, they did what? Of course they can do that…’” Narrative Director Scott Hawkes described Illaio as “a powerful and charismatic spiritual leader who inspires others to be their own unstoppable force… She turns heads and dominates a room with her physical presence and confident, purposeful swagger.” Meanwhile, the game’s creative director Mike Henry, describes Illaio as both “joyous” and “spirited”, someone who “believes in challenging others to live their lives to the fullest”. As such, Henry wanted all of these qualities to be “reflected in her appearance”. “Illaoi’s physical build is pretty unique in the roster of League of Legends champions, and we referenced a lot of athletes with a focus on weightlifters and shot putters. Mainly women who spend a lot of time lifting things as easily as Illaoi lifts her massive weapon,” Henry wrote. You can read the full post about Illaoi from Riot here.
