Have you heard of Defense of the Ancients? It just might be the second most popular mod ever made, taking only a back seat to Counter Strike. The mod used the Warcraft III engine, and put the player in a sort of RTS-RPG hybrid fantasy game.

Just announced, moments ago, from the team that made Defense of the Ancients is what seems to be a commercial expansion of the game: it is called League of Legends.

The new company behind it is Riot Games. They have been working on League of Legends secretely for about a year now, it seems. Beta will begin in 2009 for the game, and you can sign up here.

For those of you who are not familar with Defense of the Ancients, the biggest strength of the game, in my opinion, is the tremendous selection of characters that you can choose to be. The game has an astounding 91 different heroes to choose to play as -- far, far more options than most commercial games offer (for example, the upcoming Gas Powered Games Demigod game which borrows from the Defense of the Ancients concept is only offering 8 different heroes to choose from.) In addition to the 91 heroes, players can purchase many different items, bringing a depth of strategy to the game not often found. 

From the press release:

""League of Legends will bring gamers competitive battle-arena style gameplay that builds upon and expands on innovative gameplay concepts that were pioneered in DotA-Allstars, one of the most popular mods of all time," Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO, Riot Games, said.  "The team is applying its expertise and passion to producing a game that fuses premium art and gameplay features with deep community tools.

n League of Legends, players take on the role of a persistent Summoner avatar that gazes upon the battlefield from above and influences battles by taking command of a chosen Champion.  During each online multiplayer play session, gamers will choose one of dozens of unique Champions wielding diverse skills and abilities, and engage in fast-paced team-oriented combat to bring their foes to ruin.  Champions will gain levels, items, and abilities that enable them to slay their opponents and augment the strength of their allies by battling with enemy minions, foul beasts, deadly turrets and enemy Champions.  Players also advance their Summoner's rank and power to gain new abilities and items, assisting their Champions in battle.

League of Legends emphasizes team-oriented gameplay and players must work together in order to defeat the opposing team.  Players will be able to communicate easily through in-game lounges and chat rooms, and forums will act as a conversational hub for a wide variety of discussions amongst community members.  League of Legends will feature custom-built multiplayer support including matchmaking, stat tracking, clan support, anti-cheat systems, dedicated in-game ladders and Leaverbuster technology.  In addition to extensive multiplayer features, League of Legends will include a single-player mode where players can learn how to play and practice new strategies by engaging robust Bot-AI.

The League of Legends community will feature an abundance of ongoing events including tournaments, leagues and contests.  The Riot development team will open their doors for community input, allowing gamers to have their opinions heard, have their ideas implemented in League of Legends and continue to shape the game as it evolves post-launch."