TL;DR
- Greg ‘Ghostcrawler’ Street announced his departure from Riot Games on March 7, 2023
- Personal losses and family priorities were key factors in his decision to leave
- He expressed strong confidence in the remaining MMO development team
- Ghostcrawler’s decade-long impact transformed Riot’s developer-community relations
- The League of Legends MMO development continues under experienced leadership
The gaming industry witnessed a significant leadership transition when Greg “Ghostcrawler” Street, Executive Producer and Vice President for the highly anticipated League of Legends MMO, departed from Riot Games. This move marks the conclusion of a transformative decade-long tenure that reshaped how developers engage with player communities.
Ghostcrawler established himself as a cornerstone figure at Riot Games, originally joining in 2013 as lead gameplay designer for League of Legends. During his tenure, he guided the MOBA through unprecedented expansion phases while pioneering transparent communication practices between development teams and their audience base.
After nearly ten years of dedicated service, the veteran developer utilized social media platforms to announce his decision to step down from both the studio and his pivotal role overseeing the MMO project.
Ghostcrawler leaves Riot Games and LoL MMO
On March 7, 2023, Ghostcrawler formally declared via Twitter his intention to separate from Riot Games and relinquish responsibilities for the untitled LoL MMO project.
His career trajectory had evolved to include the Vice President of IP & Entertainment position at Riot, representing what would become his final executive role within the organization. Throughout the detailed Twitter thread explaining his exit, Ghostcrawler emphasized that both personal circumstances and professional evaluations contributed to his departure strategy.
Following significant personal challenges during 2022, the experienced developer clarified that proximity to family members became his foremost priority when making career decisions.
A combo of personal and professional considerations led me to down this path. We experienced some devastating personal losses last year and I want to be closer to my surviving family.
— Greg Street (@Ghostcrawler) March 7, 2023
Ghostcrawler’s established reputation from his contributions to both League of Legends and World of Warcraft formed a crucial foundation for community trust in the forthcoming LoL MMO. While this development might understandably concern some potential players, Ghostcrawler deliberately emphasized his praise for the MMO development team and articulated unwavering confidence in the product being crafted by the talented members continuing with Riot.
The transition highlights important considerations for managing team changes in major game development projects, demonstrating how established processes can maintain momentum during leadership transitions.
Ghostcrawler leaves behind an indelible mark on League of Legends and Riot Games’ broader portfolio following his near-tenure with the company, and numerous community members will undoubtedly feel his absence from the untitled MMO project.
His departure underscores the importance of structured leadership transitions in ongoing game development, similar to how major franchise launches require careful planning and systematic approach development to ensure consistent quality and vision alignment.
Action Checklist
- Monitor official Riot Games communications for MMO development updates
- Analyze development team composition and remaining leadership expertise
- Evaluate project continuity through developer transparency and regular progress reports
- Assess community sentiment and developer engagement quality post-transition
No reproduction without permission：Game Guides Online » LoL MMO lead Ghostcrawler leaves Riot Games Understanding Ghostcrawler's departure from Riot Games and what it means for the League of Legends MMO