Explore the development journey of Convergence: Ekko’s transformation from MOBA to 2D platformer with time-rewind mechanics
Convergence: A New Chapter in League of Legends Storytelling
In an exclusive development deep dive, we interviewed Rowan Parker, Creative Director at Riot Forge, to uncover the creative process behind their innovative title Convergence. This groundbreaking project represents a significant expansion of the League of Legends universe into new gaming genres.
Our conversation with Rowan Parker, Riot Forge’s creative director, revealed the intricate development journey behind Convergence—a fresh League of Legends narrative experience that pushes boundaries.
Riot Forge’s collaboration with Double Stallion Games resulted in Convergence, an action-platforming adventure starring Ekko that explores previously unseen districts of Zaun. Launched earlier this year across multiple gaming platforms, this title delivers an original narrative experience that expands the LoL lore in exciting new directions.
Players navigate through diverse Zaun neighborhoods, encountering iconic League champions while mastering Ekko’s signature movements—sprinting, leaping, and manipulating time to overcome obstacles and enemies.
Transitioning a complete champion kit between radically different game genres presents substantial design challenges. We questioned Parker about their methodology for successfully adapting Ekko’s abilities.
To establish context, we requested Parker’s elevator pitch describing Convergence’s core identity and player experience expectations.
“For newcomers, Convergence represents a 2D action-platformer featuring Ekko as the central protagonist. Ekko embodies a youthful inventor archetype with the extraordinary capability to reverse time’s flow,” Parker explained.
This marks Riot Forge’s fourth published title, following their previous release The Mageseeker starring Sylas. Each project demonstrates their commitment to exploring different League champions through varied gameplay perspectives.
Convergence is currently accessible on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox gaming consoles, offering multiple entry points for players to experience this unique League of Legends story.
Why Ekko Became the Perfect Platformer Protagonist
When selecting the ideal champion for their next Riot Forge project, Double Stallion’s development team possessed clear criteria for their protagonist. Creative Director Eric Angelillo expressed particular fascination with Ekko’s signature time-manipulation capabilities and envisioned this mechanic as a central gameplay pillar.
This champion selection process occurred prior to Arcane’s release, which subsequently enriched Ekko’s backstory and significantly boosted his popularity among fans.
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“Before Arcane’s announcement, the team already demonstrated interest in Ekko specifically because of his temporal rewind abilities. Given their expertise in action-platformer development, they sought to experiment with diverse enemy designs and character kits centered around time manipulation mechanics,” Parker clarified.
Pro Tip: When adapting established characters across genres, focus on their most distinctive mechanical feature—Ekko’s time rewind offered unparalleled potential for platforming innovation that aligned perfectly with Double Stallion’s development strengths.
The team recognized that Ekko’s time-based abilities presented unique opportunities for platforming gameplay that few other champions could provide. His kinetic, acrobatic fighting style naturally translated to the dynamic movement requirements of 2D action games.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don’t assume popular champions automatically translate well to different genres. The development team specifically analyzed which champions’ core mechanics would enhance rather than hinder the platforming experience.
Adapting Ekko’s Abilities for 2D Platforming
Transitioning a 3D MOBA champion into a 2D platforming environment demanded significant creative reimagining. Parker emphasized that successfully portraying Ekko in Convergence required absolute clarity regarding “the character’s fundamental fantasy.”
This comprehensive understanding encompassed Ekko’s combat methodology, movement patterns, and the “inspirational fantasy” he represents. The development team ensured they grasped these elements from both design perspectives and player expectation standpoints.
“Countless players worldwide possess deep familiarity with Ekko and maintain specific expectations regarding his combat feel and playstyle. Whether experienced through League’s isometric perspective or Convergence’s side-scrolling viewpoint, consistency matters,” Parker noted.
“We strive to meet veteran players’ expectations while simultaneously expanding his ability repertoire and enhancing his powers,” Parker further elaborated.
The development process involved methodically translating Ekko’s kit into two-dimensional space. They examined various “design threads” to manipulate his abilities, exploring potential configurations for each power.
Design questions included: “Can we implement area damage effects on Timewinder? Could chain lightning mechanics work with Timewinder, or what happens when we adjust Phase Dive cooldowns?”
These explorations enabled the team to establish distinct combat identities and gameplay styles. This might emphasize Ekko’s defensive capabilities through shielding or his mobility through spatial navigation. Parker contends that beginning with the core kit and maintaining champion authenticity constitutes the successful adaptation formula.
Advanced Strategy: When playing Convergence, experiment with different ability modifications early to discover synergies that match your preferred playstyle—whether aggressive, defensive, or mobility-focused approaches.
Mastering Time Rewind: Advanced Gameplay Mechanics
Implementing Ekko’s abilities extended beyond basic combat applications—they needed seamless integration with core game systems. Parker described the enjoyment derived from experimenting with these mechanics and investigating their possibilities, now accessible to players.
“We derive tremendous satisfaction designing Ekko’s mechanical systems. Beyond combat applications where time reversal corrects mistakes or achieves perfect execution flows…
…the game incorporates extensive platforming and parkour sequences including jumping puzzles and navigation challenges. Time rewinding functionality applies here too—if errors occur, simply reverse time and reattempt, mirroring Ekko’s canonical behavior in Zaun’s environment.”
Parker explained how Liberation from League’s competitive constraints enabled deeper exploration of Ekko’s capabilities and power scaling in solo gameplay. Developers extensively elaborated his League kit, determined appropriate power levels, and introduced gadget modification concepts.
These gadgets facilitate gameplay personalization, enabling players to select and enhance preferred attributes.
“The game incorporates numerous gadgets—modify Timewinder, adjust Parallel Convergence, alter ultimate ability after-effects. Multiple approaches exist for developing combat strategies and build configurations.
Prefer maintaining distance while slowing enemies before teleporting in with Phase Dive? Or repeatedly rewinding time to perfect encounter execution? These possibilities remain unavailable in MOBA format but become fully realizable in Convergence.”
Optimization Tip: Master the rhythm of time rewinding—the most skilled players use it proactively to set up complex combos rather than reactively to fix errors. Practice rewinding during platforming sections to discover hidden paths and collectibles.
Common Pitfall: Avoid overusing time rewind as a crutch. While it’s tempting to rewind every mistake, learning to play precisely without reliance on the mechanic will improve your overall skills and completion times.
Bringing Zaun to Life Through Ekko’s Eyes
Beyond character mechanics, developers needed to conceptualize Ekko’s environmental context. The team meticulously crafted Zaun’s various districts, inhabitants, and creatures to align with Convergence’s thematic vision.
“We consider Ekko an ideal companion for exploring Zaun’s urban landscape. For players discovering Zaun initially through Convergence, Ekko serves as an excellent introductory guide providing comprehensive city exposure,” Parker affirmed.
Ekko’s perpetual mobility ensures interactions with diverse Zaun residents. The creative director commended Double Stallion’s artistry in constructing Zaun and presenting it through Ekko’s unique perspective.
“Zaun appears vibrant, stunning, and luminous because players perceive it through Ekko’s viewpoint. His perception contrasts with Piltover’s perspective—this represents his homeland, his childhood environment.”
The development team engineered completely original Zaun-exclusive zones to enrich the setting and establish living, breathing environments. These inclusions encompassed novel areas like Industrial Factorywood, the Carnival district, and the Clock Tower landmark. Parker detailed their zone creation methodology.
“Addressing gameplay requirements involves filling narrative gaps and developing new territories and world regions. This process occasionally necessitates creating original characters as well.”
Exploration Advice: Take time to absorb environmental details in each zone—the developers embedded narrative elements and character background throughout Zaun’s districts that enrich the overall storytelling experience.
The careful environmental design ensures that each location not only serves gameplay functions but also deepens players’ understanding of Ekko’s relationship with his city, creating a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience.
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