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Riot Games announces Project A, a tactical character-based shooter

Project A, a yet-to-be-named game, is a first-person shooter being developed by Riot Games, makers of League of Legends.

Sam Chandler

October 15, 2019 7:16 PM

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Riot Games dropped a bombshell this morning, revealing that the company is going to be known for more than just one game. Introducing Project A, a “character-based tactical shooter”. Though no release date is known, let alone a title, we were given the chance to hear from the developers about their inspirations and plans. Please check out the video below!

Project A – Character-based shooter meets tactical gameplay

Though only known as “Project A”, there’s a lot of information players can pull from the short snippets revealed in the Riot Pls: 10^th Anniversary Edition video and announcement.

Have you met "Project A?" pic.twitter.com/gEKP5LH3Az

— Riot Games (@riotgames) October 16, 2019

According to a tweet from the official Riot Games Twitter, Project A is a “character-based tactical shooter set in a near-future Earth.”

Announcing "Project A", our character-based tactical shooter set in a near-future Earth. pic.twitter.com/wqEXl0Hxbn

— Riot Games (@riotgames) October 16, 2019

The most immediate comparisons players can draw from would be Team Fortress and Overwatch, two wildly popular character-based shooters. However, neither of them are what you would could consider “tactical” in the usual application of that term. The best comparison for “tactical” would be Valve’s Counter-Strike series.

These two examples seem to hold up based on the few seconds of gameplay shown in the announcement trailer.

One section shows the player using an assault rifle to take down two players, offing the second with a headshot as denoted by an on-screen word and a symbol in the kill feed. This is followed up with some fast, vertical play as the character leaps onto a box and finishes a third off with a barrage of knives.

The short gif included in the tweet showcases the player scoring a kill with a sniper, and then using some kind of slashing ability to quickly get out of the line of fire.

The last tactical, character-based shooter that stands out in my mind was Shadowrun 2007. Though it didn’t go over well with diehard pen-and-paper players that were expecting an RPG, it became a cult classic for those that loved the flow of combat. Could Project A be a spiritual successor to Shadowrun 2007, fusing together magic, abilities, and Counter-Strike tactics? Only time will tell.

Unfortunately, players will be waiting a while to hear more about Project A, as the team are “going dark for a while” in order to focus on development. Considering the attention to detail League of Legends receives, I have high hopes for what Riot Games can deliver with Project A.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler