Riot wants to add more unique TFT champions after Silco success

Silco is Riot’s first non-League of Legends champion in TFT, and the Arcane antagonist is already a hit in Neon Nights. Without having even launched onto live servers yet, Riot are planning on pushing more design boundaries in the future with unique units.

Silco has been transformed from Arcane antagonist to TFT mastermind in TFT Set 6.5. The beloved villain from Season 1 has been added into Neon Nights ⁠— a sort of continuation on the Arcane storyline which has also been captured by changes to both Jinx and Vi in the update.

The entire design has put a bow on what has been a captivating six months for League of Legends fans surrounding the animated series. It took a lot of manpower though; being TFT’s first non-League of Legends champion, Riot had to build Silco from scratch.

However, it’s opened up the possibilities for what TFT could become in the future with wide-open doors to continue creating unique champions and experiences distinct from League of Legends.

“Silco represents us opening the bridge to more things that aren’t just League of Legends champions,” dev Stephen ‘Mortdog’ Mortimer said in an interview.

“We’re excited to consider options in the future, but nothing is currently planned that we can talk about that we’ve nailed down for sure. We’re open to the possibility.”

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The first cab off the rank in these talks is always Valorant. Riot’s shooter IP has captivated players since its 2020 launch, and the crossovers between Future Earth and the Runeterran universe are becoming more frequent ⁠— just look at Zeri and Neon (although not technically a crossover and more of a collaboration).

“When we say there’s a possibility for non-League characters, Valorant is literally everyone’s first response,” Mortdog laughed.

“Whether or not we act on that we’ll see, but it is everyone’s default response because it’s Riot’s only other IP at the moment.”

There’s also an abundance of potential units hidden deep in the decks of Legends of Runeterra, the spin-off card game which features a bunch of League of Legends lore-inspired characters.

TFT could also become the hotbed of more pop culture crossovers though, if Riot so chose. Given the success of other titles like Fortnite integrating popular characters from other universes ⁠— including League’s own Vi and Jinx ⁠— there’s always potential in that side of things.

Where Riot chooses to take Teamfight Tactics’ roster post-Silco is ultimately up to them. However, the freedom offered by finally breaking free from League of Legends (even if only slightly) has opened up a range of possibilities for future set direction.