In the rapidly evolving landscape of live-service video games, history is often written in pencil, easily erased by subsequent patches, engine updates, and complete intellectual property overhauls. Few titles embody this relentless march forward more than Riot Games’ League of Legends. Released in 2009, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) has grown from a modest indie project into a multi-billion-dollar global esport. For over a decade, the earliest days of Riot Games’ development cycle remained shrouded in mystery, preserved only in vague developer anecdotes and low-resolution leaks. However, a landmark collaborative effort between prominent League of Legends lore historian and YouTuber Necrit, and veteran Riot Games Producer Paul "Pabro" Bellezza, has unearthed the game’s primordial ancestor: a long-lost prototype titled Onslaught: War of the Immortals. This archival discovery offers an unprecedented look at the chaotic, experimental, and distinctly late-2000s design philosophy that eventually birthed the most played PC game in the world. Main Facts: Unearthing the "Lost" Riot Prototype The revelation of Onslaught: War of the Immortals came to light through a detailed documentary-style video published by Necrit. The video was made possible through direct access to Riot Games’ internal archives, courtesy of Paul "Pabro" Bellezza, who joined Riot during its infancy. The unearthed materials comprise an extensive collection of historical artifacts from around 2007, including: Investor Pitch Videos: Early gameplay footage designed to secure venture capital. Design Documents: Comprehensive spreadsheets detailing champion abilities, stats, and map layouts. Lore Manifestos: Narratives outlining a fictional universe drastically different from modern Runeterra. Early Concept Art and Screenshots: Visual evidence of a game that favored a gritty, cartoonish urban aesthetic over the high-fantasy forest of Summoner’s Rift. At this stage of development, the project was barely recognizable as the precursor to League of Legends. Instead of an isometric arena focused on lane management and minion waves, Onslaught was pitched as an action-heavy clash between customizable "immortals"—powerful entities that players could summon directly into battle during pivotal moments. The game was built on a foundational struggle between two cosmic factions, requiring players to declare an allegiance to either "Order" or "Chaos" upon creating their accounts. Chronology: From ‘Onslaught’ to ‘Clash of Fates’ To understand the significance of Onslaught: War of the Immortals, one must trace the developmental timeline of Riot Games from its inception to the official release of League of Legends. [2006] Riot Games Founded by Brandon Beck & Marc Merrill │ [2007] Development of 'Onslaught: War of the Immortals' (The Investor Pitch Era) │ [2008] Pivot to 'League of Legends: Clash of Fates' (Shift to F2P MOBA Model) │ [2009] Official Launch of 'League of Legends' 2006: The Genesis of Riot Games Founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill established Riot Games with the goal of creating a standalone spiritual successor to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), the immensely popular community-made mod for Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. 2007: The Pitching Phase and ‘Onslaught’ During this period, Riot Games sought to define its gameplay loop. Onslaught: War of the Immortals was drafted as an original intellectual property. The design documents and pitch videos from this year reflect the cultural and aesthetic trends of the late 2000s—an era when Finger Eleven’s alternative rock anthem "Paralyzer" was topping the charts. The game featured a blood-drenched Riot Games logo and an edgy, comic-book art style meant to appeal to the competitive teenage and young-adult demographic of the time. 2008: The Pivot to ‘Clash of Fates’ Recognizing the structural superiority and addictive loop of traditional lane-based DotA gameplay, Riot Games pivoted. They abandoned the customizable "immortals" concept and the rigid Order vs. Chaos account locking. The project was rebranded as League of Legends: Clash of Fates, moving toward a free-to-play model centered on a static roster of unique "champions." 2009: Launch and Beyond League of Legends officially launched in October 2009, stripped of its Clash of Fates subtitle and featuring a cleaner, more cohesive fantasy aesthetic that laid the groundwork for the modern esports titan. Supporting Data: Factions, Lore, and the "Proto-Champions" The design documents recovered from the Onslaught archive reveal a fascinating array of discarded mechanics, unpolished character concepts, and narrative frameworks that highlight the raw, unrefined nature of early game development. The Order vs. Chaos Mechanics Unlike the symmetrical battlefield of Summoner’s Rift, Onslaught took place in a stylized, cartoonish cityscape divided into two distinct territorial realms: the Order Realm and the Chaos Realm. The game enforced a strict faction system: Account-Bound Allegiance: Players had to permanently align their profiles with either Order or Chaos. Faction-Exclusive Champions: Certain heroes could only be selected by players belonging to their respective factions. Asymmetrical Map Design: The environment reflected the aesthetic of the faction controlling it, creating a dynamic visual contrast across the map. The Proto-Champions Several of League of Legends‘ most iconic champions exist in the Onslaught files in highly volatile, humorous, or bizarre iterations. Modern Champion Onslaught Name Key Differences & Characteristics Lee Sin Xizun Described as a blind monk, his early design document listed a passive ability colloquially titled: "Built like a brick wall on roids." Singed Zij Possessed a nearly identical chemical-based toolkit, though his name was changed during the transition to Clash of Fates. Sion Sion Featured a drastically different design, most notably sporting a bright, highlighter-orange beard. Annie Annie Retained her core identity as a child mage with a flaming teddy bear minion, though her visual design was significantly cruder. [Onslaught: War of the Immortals (2007)] │ ├──► Xizun (Passive: "Built like a brick wall on roids") ──► [Lee Sin] ├──► Zij (Chemical-based toolkit) ──────────────────────────► [Singed] └──► Sion (With a bright orange beard) ─────────────────────► [Sion] The "Antichrist" Lore The narrative of Onslaught lacked the high-fantasy world-building of Runeterra, opting instead for a darker, apocalyptic premise. According to the design documents, the fragile peace between the Order and Chaos factions was shattered when "an antichrist of sorts" was born. This entity tore a massive rift in reality, allowing the corruptive forces of the Chaos realm to bleed into the material world, threatening to consume all existence. Official Responses: Riot Games on Preserving Its Heritage The release of these archives represents a significant shift in how major game developers handle their pre-production history. Historically, publishers have been highly protective of early prototypes, fearing that unpolished, low-quality assets could dilute the brand or expose internal development struggles. Paul "Pabro" Bellezza’s decision to authorize the release of these materials to the community highlights a growing appreciation for video game preservation within Riot Games. According to internal sources, Riot views the sharing of Onslaught not as an embarrassment, but as a testament to the iterative nature of creative design. In discussions surrounding the archive, developers noted that showing the crude, "edgy" origins of League of Legends demystifies the game development process. It proves to aspiring developers that even the most successful games in history started as janky, unpolished prototypes built on trial, error, and highly informal design documentation. Implications: The Evolution of Game Design and Preservation The discovery of Onslaught: War of the Immortals carries profound implications for both the history of the MOBA genre and the broader video game industry. 1. The Power of Iterative Design Onslaught serves as a case study in "killing your darlings." Riot Games’ willingness to abandon the core features of their original pitch—such as account-bound factions and customizable immortals—in favor of cloning and refining the DotA formula was a critical business decision. Had Riot stubbornly stuck to the Onslaught blueprint, they would have missed the wave of competitive MOBA enthusiasm that defined the early 2010s. 2. The Video Game Preservation Movement As digital-only distribution and live-service models dominate the industry, early builds of games are increasingly lost to time. The preservation of Onslaught highlights the vital role that community figures (like Necrit) and internal champions (like Bellezza) play in saving digital history. Without these efforts, the physical hard drives containing these pitch videos and spreadsheets would likely have been discarded or overwritten. 3. A Window into Late-2000s Gaming Culture From the blood-soaked corporate logo to the informal, steroid-referencing passive descriptions, Onslaught is a cultural time capsule. It reflects an era of game development that was less corporate, more rebellious, and highly influenced by the extreme sports and alternative rock subcultures of the mid-to-late 2000s. As League of Legends players continue to engage with nostalgic legacy content, the discovery of Onslaught reminds the community of just how far the game has come. True "classic" gaming history lies not in the early seasons of Summoner’s Rift, but in a chaotic, neon-and-blood-soaked cityscape where a monk named Xizun was built like a brick wall, and Sion wore a bright orange beard. Post navigation The Great PC Power Debate: Should You Shut Down or Leave Your Computer On?
