If you’re a card gamer, a League of Legends player, or even a fan of the Netflix animated show, Arcane, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have heard about the 2025 trading card game, Riftbound. Googling Riftbound seems to also result in something else seeming to be associated with the League of Legends card game, however: Demonlore. So what is Demonlore, and why does it seem to have a connection with Riftbound? Let’s find out!

What Exactly is Demonlore?

Released in 2022, Demonlore is a roguelike, lane-based strategy game with deckbuilding elements. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the original Plants vs Zombies, though it does have deeper strategy, and more complex card play than the aforementioned PopCap classic. It’s an impressive debut game by a small indie development team, and it seems the community agrees; Demonlore has been highly praised by players, with a “Very Positive” rating overall on Steam.

Why Does Demonlore Seem to Be Connected to the Riftbound Trading Card Game?

So after seeing Demonlore, you are almost certainly wondering why it seems to have a connection with Riot’s League of Legends card game, Riftbound. The answer is surprisingly straightforward: from its launch in 2022 until April 2025, Demonlore was actually named Riftbound. When Riot Games wanted to rename their League of Legends card game (initially codenamed “Project K”), they struck a deal with Barrel Smash Games. Their lane defense game became Demonlore in the process, and the Riftbound card game was born.

You can check out Demonlore on Steam, along with the game’s free demo, using the widget below:

For more on Riftbound, check out our Riftbound content here on Card Gamer. Take a look at our other digital card game content too!