Riftbound — Riot Games' League of Legends trading card game — is being built and supported by a team of fewer than 50 people across every function, from design to marketing. Game Director Dave Guskin revealed the headcount in an interview with GameSpot's Jessica Cogswell at Gen Con 2026 in Indianapolis, where the game had a presence from July 30 to August 2. GameSpot

That number is striking for a game tied to one of the biggest franchises in gaming. League of Legends, the multiplayer online battle arena that spawned Riftbound, has tens of millions of players worldwide. A trading card game, or TCG, is a physical card game where players buy, build decks and compete — think Magic: The Gathering or the Pokémon TCG, but set in the universe of League of Legends.

The team started much smaller. Guskin told GameSpot that about two years before the interview, the initial pitch was just himself, his boss, and one analyst. Riot allowed two more people to join before development ramped up, bringing the early group to roughly five.

Since its English-language release in October 2025, Riftbound has shipped four expansions, the most recent being Vendetta. The game is less than a year old. Riot publishes a "State of the Game" update twice a year, and the August 2026 edition, posted August 3, noted that the game is attracting a diverse player base with different backgrounds in card games and beyond. Riftbound

The competitive scene is active, too. Riftbound's 2026 Organized Play season is still underway, with Regional Championships remaining and invitations to Riftbound Worlds still to be earned, according to an August 4 State of Play update. Riftbound Riot also used Gen Con to share details about Riftbound's 2027 plans, per the game's official Instagram account.

For context on scale in the industry: major publisher-backed titles, especially those tied to large franchises, are often supported by teams in the hundreds. A sub-50 headcount running a live TCG — with regular expansions, organised tournaments, and a global competitive season — is unusual for a product of this profile.

Riot's approach to Riftbound so far has emphasised steady, small-team output over rapid scaling. Whether that model holds as the game's competitive scene grows and the 2027 roadmap takes shape is a question for the next State of the Game.