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Riot Games' Valorant director leaves studio for Bungie

From hero shooters to...something currently unannounced.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

December 20, 2022

1 Min Read
Promo art for Riot Games' Valorant.

Ex-Riot Games dev Joe Ziegler announced that he's now a part of Destiny 2 developer Bungie. Ziegler was previously the co-director for Riot's hero shooter Valorant, and had previously announced his departure from Riot at the start of December. 

"After 12 great years at Riot, this week will be my last week," wrote Ziegler at the time. "I am departing with a heart full of gratitude for Riot Games and all of you for the amazing memories we've shared together."

Ziegler has been commonly credited with the initial concept for Riot's 2020 shooter, which came about as the developer wanted its staff to pitch potential games. The shooter is also the first (and only) non-League of Legends game for the studio. 

As far as what his role at Bungie entails, Ziegler was vague. His announcement tweet only said that he would be "working on new stuff that hopefully will one day get to be played by you all."

Bungie's big focus at the moment is the Lightfall expansion for Destiny 2 in February 2023, followed by The Final Shape in 2024. But earlier this year, a report from Insider Gaming indicated that the developer might have a revival for its 90s shooter series Marathon in the works. 

About the Author(s)

Justin Carter

Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com

A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.

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