Riot Games have officially confirmed League Classic, the retro mode that leaked early on the PBE, with a full reveal set for the MSI 2026 Finals on 12 July. A Riot representative put the speculation to bed, stating the plan is real and that further details will follow at the event.
The project is led by Paul Bellezza, head of League of Legends development, who joined Riot as an intern in the studio's early days before rising to the role. It carried the internal codename Jade.
The premise is a faithful rebuild of the game's earliest years — old map, old items, old champion kits. A Riot developer update video laid out the direction, citing the environments of Seasons 1, 2 and 4, the restoration of iconic items such as the Heart of Gold, and early design quirks like the original jungle pathing.
Original champion appearances and beta-era balance are under review. Riot dev Meddler confirmed the core premise separately on Reddit, stating the studio is reverting to historical gameplay kits, while noting the team had hoped to hold specifics back — a sign the PBE leak ran deeper than intended.
The structural detail comes from that datamine, surfaced primarily by SkinSpotlights. League Classic runs as a separate track from a player's main account, with progression restarting at level one and capping at the historical level thirty. Influence Points return as the currency, alongside the original rune system and classic mastery tree. On top sits a dedicated Battle Pass with its own token bank and exclusive shop.
The files also reference a voting mechanic for in-game powers, plus ranked and co-op vs. AI queues — pointing to a structured mode rather than a throwaway event. With discussions still active internally, not every datamined feature is guaranteed to make the final cut.
Champion access will be capped rather than open. The leaked build points to a fixed roster of around sixty champions, pegged to the game's early seasons, though the lists pulled from the PBE don't fully agree on the exact count or line-up — unsurprising for a preliminary build. Riot will confirm the final pool at the reveal.
The extracted client data points to a launch during Split 3 of the current season. The 12 July reveal should lock down the visuals and the precise schedule — and settle the gaps the leak left open.
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