Key Points
- Brian Holinka joins Riot Games as principal designer for the League of Legends MMO.
- Holinka previously served as lead combat system designer for World of Warcraft at Blizzard.
- He is the third former Blizzard employee to join Riot's MMO endeavor.
- The recruitment suggests Riot is bolstering its team with experienced MMORPG talent.
Veteran Talent Joins League of Legends MMO Project
Riot Games has brought on Brian Holinka, formerly a lead combat system designer for World of Warcraft, to work on its League of Legends MMO. Holinka's arrival as a principal designer marks a significant addition to the development team for Riot's ambitious, yet largely undisclosed, MMO project.
Strategic Team Building
Holinka spent over a decade at Blizzard Entertainment, with the last five years dedicated to shaping the combat systems and player-versus-player content for World of Warcraft. Following his departure from Blizzard in May 2023, he briefly contributed to Fantastic Pixel Castle, a studio founded by Greg Street, before it ceased operations at the end of 2025. His move to Riot Games continues a pattern of experienced talent joining the League of Legends MMO, a project that has reportedly undergone significant development shifts.
This strategic recruitment effort has seen Riot Games bring in several key individuals with deep MMORPG backgrounds. Orlando Salvatore, a former lead software engineer from World of Warcraft, joined in October 2024, followed by Raymond Bartos, a former lead producer for Blizzard's MMORPG, who took on a senior producer role in January of this year. The consistent hiring of individuals with proven experience in large-scale online role-playing games indicates a sustained commitment to the League of Legends MMO's development.
Despite these significant team additions, Riot Games has yet to unveil substantive details or gameplay footage for the project. The League of Legends MMO was initially announced in December 2020, and public information has remained scarce, contributing to speculation surrounding its development status and eventual form.