Independent online games developer and publisher, Riot Games has announced its first title, League of Legends, is in development.

The MMO will be a mixture of role-playing and strategy gaming elements and according to the developer, players will compete against other teams for victory on "highly-stylised battlefields and landscapes".

The company is also quick to brag that the team behind the game have good credits to their names such as the Warcraft 3 mod DotA-Allstars

"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 of 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."

In League of Legends, players take on the role of a persistent Summoner avatar that looks 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 Champions wielding different skills and abilities, and engage in fast-paced team-oriented combat.

Champions will gain levels, items, and abilities that enable them to slay their opponents and build the strength of their allies by battling with enemy minions, rather nasty beasts and enemy Champions. Players also advance their Summoner’s rank and power to gain new abilities and items by assisting their Champions in battle.

In addition to multiplayer features, League of Legends will include a single-player mode where players can learn how to play and practice new strategies by engaging Bot-AI.

The League of Legends beta will be available in 2009 - we'll keep you updated with news on its progress.