League of Legends Announces First Novel

League of Legends is about to enter an entirely new arena for the franchise with the announcement of the first novel set in the world of Runeterra. Hachette Book Group's Orbit imprint and developer Riot Games have announced Ruination, written by Riot Games Principal Writer Anthony Reynolds, will release this coming September. And from the sound of the announcement, this is only the beginning.

As the name implies to anyone familiar with League of Legends lore, Ruination has to do with Viego. More specifically, however, the book "tells the story of Kalista, military general to King Viego, as she searches for a legendary realm that may have access to ancient magic-the only way to cure the poisoned Queen Isolde," according to the press release.

"Stories play such an important role in exploring our world and champions in deep and meaningful ways," said Ashley Maidy, Head of Consumer Products for Riot Games, as part of the announcement. "This is a foundational story for Runeterra, and will shed new light on the events that shape some of its most pivotal characters. We are thrilled that Orbit will be bringing this to life for our fans."

"We are thrilled to be publishing the first novel set in the League of Legends universe," said Tim Holman, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Orbit US, as part of the same announcement. "Our goal is to publish stories that will excite not just the millions of League of Legends players but anyone who loves epic adventures set in fantastical worlds. Working with the Rioters has been an amazing experience, and I believe that together we can build a phenomenal publishing program."

As noted above, the Ruination novel is set to publish in English in September in print, ebook, and audio editions and will be distributed internationally. Translated versions are expected with publication dates for those markets to be announced. League of Legends itself is currently available on PC, and a mobile version called League of Legends: Wild Rift is also available. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the popular MOBA video game right here.

What do you think about what we have heard of the new Ruination novel so far? Are you excited to check it out when it eventually releases in September? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up over on Twitter at @rollinbishop in order to talk about all things gaming!