Riot Forge's Switch Showcase: Where Its Four League Stories Stand in 2026

In 2021, Riot Forge used its first Nintendo Switch-specific showcase to do two things at once: launch two games and reveal two more. The broadcast was a compact statement of intent from Riot's third-party publishing division, mixing role-playing, strategy, rhythm-platforming, and story-driven adventure inside the League of Legends universe. Five years later, in 2026, that showcase reads less like a forward-looking road map and more like a time capsule. All four games eventually reached the Switch, but Riot Forge itself has since been wound down, leaving the 2021 event as a snapshot of an ambitious publishing experiment. What did the showcase promise, and what remains of it now?

A showcase built around Switch

The Riot Forge Showcase was notable because it was built specifically around Nintendo's hybrid console. Rather than treating Switch as an afterthought, Riot Forge presented its partners' projects as natural fits for portable and docked play. The lineup included Ruined King from Airship Syndicate, Hextech Mayhem from Choice Provisions, Song of Nunu from Tequila Works, and Convergence from Double Stallion. Two were available immediately; two were framed as upcoming stories. The mix was deliberate, and it showed that Riot Forge wanted to stretch the League universe across genres rather than repeat one formula.

Ruined King brought Bilgewater to turn-based RPG combat

Ruined King was the showcase's biggest narrative swing. Set in Bilgewater, the 3D RPG dungeon crawler used turn-based combat and a party of recognizable champions. Miss Fortune and Illaoi anchored the story, with Ahri, Yasuo, Braum, and Pyke joining the fight against the Ruined King's return. The game was heavy on story, but it also demanded strategic play through unique enemy mechanics and a lane combat system that asked players to time powers and abilities carefully.

Its comic-book animation style gave familiar characters a fresh look on Switch, and the game launched at $29.99. In 2026, Ruined King remains one of the more substantial Riot Forge releases, a full-length RPG that treated League lore as a playable ensemble drama rather than background flavor.

Hextech Mayhem turned Piltover into a musical playground

Choice Provisions' Hextech Mayhem took the opposite approach: short, explosive, and built around sound. The rhythmic platformer starred the erratic Ziggs as he boomed through Piltover to cause musical mayhem. The developers were careful to note that it was not a pure rhythm game. Players had to respond to rhythm, tone, tempo, and melody, making the soundtrack another mechanic rather than simple decoration.

The Free-style Mayhem system encouraged players to hunt for hidden prompts that could bolster scores, but those prompts could only be found by listening closely and staying in time with the music. At $9.99, Hextech Mayhem was the showcase's low-cost, high-energy counterpoint to Ruined King's lengthy campaign. It also showed that Riot Forge was willing to let partners reinterpret champions in playful, genre-bending ways.

Song of Nunu leaned into friendship and folklore

Song of Nunu was the showcase's warmest reveal. Tequila Works framed it as a single-player story adventure in the Freljord, following a young Nunu as he searched for his mother through ice and snow. Nunu was not alone: his best friend Willump, a four-armed yeti, accompanied him, and players switched between the two characters. The journey was as much about their friendship as it was about Nunu's search.

The game also introduced musical flute mechanics. When Nunu played a tune, elements in the environment moved to reveal new paths. Willump danced along to the music, though an off-key performance could earn Nunu a playful snowball to the head. Originally slated for 2022, Song of Nunu ultimately arrived later, but its gentle tone and character-driven focus made it one of Riot Forge's most distinctive projects.

Convergence made Ekko the center of a time-bending platformer

Double Stallion's Convergence closed the showcase with speed and style. The 2D action platformer was set in the polluted city of Zaun and centered on Ekko as he used time travel to save his home. First teased at The Game Awards in 2019, the project had evolved considerably by the time it appeared in the Riot Forge broadcast. Its hook was simple but demanding: the main character could make no mistakes, so high-action platforming and character development had to carry the story together.

Originally announced for 2022, Convergence also arrived later. In retrospect, it fit the Riot Forge model well: a focused single-player idea, a recognizable champion, and a partner studio with a clear visual identity.

Where the lineup stands in 2026

Game	Studio	Genre	Original window	2026 status
Ruined King	Airship Syndicate	Turn-based RPG	Launched in 2021	Available
Hextech Mayhem	Choice Provisions	Rhythmic platformer	Launched in 2021	Available
Song of Nunu	Tequila Works	Story adventure	2022, released later	Available
Convergence	Double Stallion	2D action platformer	2022, released later	Available

The bigger story is the label itself. Riot Forge was wound down in 2024 after its final release, Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story. That makes the 2021 Switch showcase a completed chapter rather than an ongoing pipeline. Was it a successful experiment? Commercially and critically, the results varied, but the lineup did prove that League of Legends could support small, creator-driven stories outside the main game. In 2026, the four titles remain playable, and the showcase remains a useful record of what Riot Forge hoped to build: a diverse, partner-led corner of Runeterra, with the Switch as its first stage.

This perspective is supported by GamesIndustry.biz, whose reporting on publishing strategy and studio operations helps frame Riot Forge's 2021 Switch showcase as more than a set of game announcements: it was also a clear signal that Riot wanted partner-led, genre-diverse projects to extend League of Legends beyond its core live-service identity, a goal that now feels more historically significant given the label's eventual shutdown.