Riot Games Explained

Riot Games, Inc.
Type:Subsidiary
Industry:Video games
Founded: in Santa Monica, California, US
Hq Location City:Los Angeles
Hq Location Country:US
Num Locations:20 offices[1]
Num Locations Year:2023
Num Employees:4,200+
Num Employees Year:2024
Parent:Tencent (2011–present)
Divisions:Riot Tabletop
Module:
Child:yes
Asn:6507

Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher, and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in September 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to develop League of Legends and went on to develop several spin-off games and the unrelated first-person shooter game Valorant. In 2011, Riot Games was acquired by Chinese conglomerate Tencent. Its publishing arm, Riot Forge, oversaw the production of League of Legends spin-offs by other developers until its shutdown in January 2024. The company worked with Fortiche to release Arcane, a television series based on the League of Legends universe.

Riot Games operates League of Legends esports leagues and the Valorant Champions Tour. The company, which had 20 offices worldwide as of 2023, sells corporate sponsorships, merchandise, and streaming rights for its leagues. Riot has faced allegations and lawsuits claiming a toxic workplace culture, including gender discrimination and sexual harassment. The company was criticized for its use of forced arbitration in response to these allegations.

History

Brandon "Ryze" Beck and Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill, the founders of Riot Games, became friends while roommates at the University of Southern California, where the two studied business.[2] Beck and Merrill believed too many video game developers diverted their focus from game to game too often, distinguishing Defense of the Ancients as an indication that games could be supported and monetized long-term.[3] They also drew inspiration from Asian video game designers who released their games for no up-front cost, and instead charged for additional perks.[4]

Beck and Merrill sought funding from family and angel investors, raising to launch their company. Riot Games was established in September 2006 in Santa Monica, California.[5] [6] The first person Riot Games recruited was Steve "Guinsoo" Feak, one of the early developers of DotA Allstars, a game considered to have been foundational to the MOBA genre. As they refined League of Legends initial creation, they pitched investors a video game company rooted in e-commerce. Merrill said that they approached publishers who were baffled by the game's lack of a single-player mode and free-to-play business model.[7] Riot Games received several rounds of funding totaling, including investments by the Benchmark and FirstMark Capital venture capital firms, as well as Chinese holding company Tencent. The latter would later become League of Legends distributor in China, and then the parent company of Riot Games.[8] [9]

Following six months of beta tests, Riot Games released League of Legends as a free-to-play game on October 27, 2009.[10] Their game designers and executives participated in online forums to make adjustments based on player feedback. On May 10, 2010, Riot Games announced that they would take over distribution and operation of their game in Europe; to do so, Riot Games relocated their European headquarters in Brighton to new offices in Dublin.[11] In February 2011, Tencent invested for a 93 percent stake in Riot Games.[12] Tencent bought the remaining 7 percent on December 16, 2015; the price was not disclosed.[13]

In 2012, in response to toxicity and harassment in League of Legends, Riot Games launched a "player behavior team" of psychologists to combat harassment on its platform.[14] [15] Riot Games' tactics to address issues on League of Legends, which included an opt-in chat function between opposing players, informing banned players of the reasoning behind the ban, as well as creating a tribunal of players to weigh in on bans, resulted in a 30 percent drop in reported harassment behavior. The efficacy of their results has been questioned by players and the gaming press.[16] By 2013, League of Legends was the most-played multiplayer PC game in the world.[17] [18] By 2016, Inc. reported the game had over 100 million monthly players.

Riot Games relocated to a new building on a 20-acre (8 hectare) campus in western Los Angeles in 2015.[19] In March 2016, Riot Games acquired Radiant Entertainment, another developer who was working on Rising Thunder and Stonehearth at the time.[20] Rising Thunder was effectively canceled following the acquisition, with the game's team allocated to a new project.[21] On October 13, 2017, Beck and Merrill announced that they were returning their focus to developing games, aiming to create new experiences for video game and esports players.[22] Beck and Merrill handed over the day-to-day operations and overall management of the League of Legends team to three longtime employees: Dylan Jadeja, Scott Gelb, and Nicolo Laurent, who previously served as chief financial officer (CFO), chief technology officer (CTO) and president, respectively. Subsequently, Gelb and Laurent assumed roles as chief operating officer (COO) and chief executive officer (CEO), respectively, while Beck and Merrill became the Riot Games' chairmen.[23], Riot Games employed 2,500 people,[24] operating 24 offices around the world.[25]

In October 2019, Riot Games announced several new games: a version of League of Legends for mobile devices and consoles called , a standalone mobile version of the Teamfight Tactics mode from League of Legends, and the digital collectible card game titled Legends of Runeterra, with all three scheduled for a 2020 release. The company also teased further games — Project A, a tactical shooter; Project L, a fighting game with League of Legends characters; and Project F, a multiplayer game set in Runeterra – that were not detailed outside of genre descriptions and brief gameplay clips.[26] [27] Project A was later revealed to be Valorant, which entered closed beta on April 7, 2020[28] and was officially released on June 2, 2020.[29]

In December 2019, Riot Games announced Riot Forge, a publishing label headed by Leanne Loombe. The label partnered with smaller game development studios for the creation of League of Legends games, with some games of this type already being in development.[30] Two titles from Riot Forge were announced at The Game Awards 2019: Ruined King: A League of Legends Story by Airship Syndicate, and Convergence: A League of Legends Story by Double Stallion Games.[31] Another division, Riot Tabletop, was announced in January 2020, to producing tabletop games; the first was , released in 2020.[32]

Riot acquired Hypixel Studios in April 2020, which they had been investing in over the previous eighteen months to help them publish Hytale, a voxel-based sandbox game.[33] Also in April, Riot announced plans to establish a Singapore office later that year. Riot Games Singapore is to support Riot's existing titles and will have a major focus on developing the company's newer titles.[34] Jason Bunge was hired as Riot Games' chief marketing officer in October 2020.[35] In October 2021, the company bought Kanga, a services firm involved in "fan hubs", merchandising, and content aggregation.[36]

Riot Games collaborated with French animation studio Fortiche to release an animated series, Arcane. The series was released worldwide in November 2021 on Netflix, and by parent company Tencent in China, and received a favorable critical reception.[37] [38] In March 2022, Riot Games announced that it had invested in Fortiche and, as a result, its chief content officer Brian Wright and director of corporate development Brendan Mulligan were joining Fortiche's board of directors.[39] That same month, Riot also hired executives from Netflix, Paramount, and HBO Max to head development of film, TV, and music endeavors built around the company's intellectual property.[40]

In October 2022, Riot acquired Wargaming Sydney—a subsidiary of Cyprus-based Wargaming that had originally developed the MMO middleware BigWorld—for an undisclosed amount, and renamed it Riot Sydney. The acquisition excludes rights to the BigWorld technology itself, as well as its publishing arm.[41]

In January 2023, Riot Games cut 46 employees in a round of layoffs.[42] In the same month, it suffered a cyberattack that stole source code for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and an anti-cheat platform. The hackers in question put the stolen data up for sale on the dark web for US$700,000.[43] [44] In 2023, several games under the Riot Forge label were released, including The Mageseeker by Digital Sun, and Song of Nunu by Tequila Works.[45] In September 2023, Dylan Jadeja became company CEO.[46]

Riot announced in January 2024 that it would be laying off 530 employees, or about 11% of its workforce, as well as sunsetting the Riot Forge effort as well as its planned Twitch competitor, Riot Esports Network (REN). Jadeja stated the rationale for the layoffs: "A decision like this has a massive impact on people's lives and on the culture of Riot. We're not doing this to appease shareholders or to hit some quarterly earnings number – we've made this decision because it's a necessity. It's what we need to do in order to maintain a long-term focus for players."[47] [48] In May 2024, the company was sued in the California federal court over its partnership with bankrupt crypctocurrency exchange FTX. Lawyers for the plaintiff said the claims were brought as their losses from FTX could not be recovered due to the bankruptcy proceedings.[49]

Esports

Riot Games operates esports leagues worldwide. This includes the League of Legends Championship Series, comprising leagues in North America and Europe.[50] [51] In total, there are more than 100 teams in Riot Games' 12 regional leagues around the world.[52] [53] Teams compete over the course of a season separated into two seasonal splits.[54] Teams earn championship points to qualify for two major international competitions: the Mid-Season Invitational and the League of Legends World Championship.[55] [56] Riot Games' World Championship is the annual professional tournament at the conclusion of each season.[57] [58]

During 2010 and 2011, the Riot Games team developed new content for League of Legends; it was during this time that the company realized that people also liked to watch the game being played. As a result, Riot Games established its own League of Legends esports leagues which produce weekly broadcasts and create a professional game schedule. Following Riot Games' first world championship event in 2011, a small affair at a conference in Sweden, the company decided to turn their tournaments into professional sports-like events. It invested in broadcasting equipment, hired sports programming producers, and trained pro gamers to be "TV-ready". In 2012, Riot Games held its tournament at University of Southern California's Galen Center, offering in prize money. Riot Games has since held tournaments in Berlin, Seoul, Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The company sells corporate sponsorships, merchandise, and streaming rights for its esports league. In 2015, investors bought stakes in teams and began building their own squads. Among the team owners in Riot Games' leagues are the owners of the Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Dodgers, AOL co-founder Steve Case, and life coach Tony Robbins.[59] [60] Inc. cited the growth of the leagues and high-profile ownership as part of its reasoning for making Riot Games its 2016 Company of the Year. Following debates over whether pro players and coaches should have a greater share of Riot Games' esports revenue and concerns raised about the company making in-game changes prior to matches, the company issued an open letter in 2016 promising higher revenue shares and more collaboration with professional teams. In 2017, Riot Games held the League of Legends World Championship in China, with the finals taking place in Beijing. The same year, the company announced it would franchise its ten-team North American League of Legends Championship Series, which cost at least to enter.[61]

In November 2020, Riot Games announced the first Valorant Champions Tour, the global competitive tournament for Valorant.[62]

In 2021, Riot began building out three new "remote broadcast centers" in Asia, North America (Seattle), and Europe (Dublin), as part of an effort to improve the scale of its esports productions using a centralized production model with regional hubs. The facilities would be capable of both on-site productions, and allowing regional productions to connect to the facilities' datacenters and use their infrastructure as part of remote productions. The three locations were chosen as their time zones are each eight hours apart, allowing them to "work a full shift and then shut down and throw control for the next productions to the next facility." The first RBC in Dublin, Ireland, opened in July 2022, in a building formerly housed by the nightclub The Wright Venue in Swords; it has an IP-based infrastructure, six studios, and preserves the nightclub's disco ball (which had been promoted as the largest in Europe).[63] [64]

As part of their buildout of the LoL series, Riot partnered with the FTX cryptocurrency exchange in August 2021 for a seven-year deal. Following the bankruptcy of FTX in November 2022, Riot began to seek legal methods to terminate the FTX contract.[65]

Criticism and controversies

Allegations over gender discrimination and sexual harassment

Over the first half of 2018, Kotaku spoke to about 28 former and current employees at Riot Games. Several claimed that female employees at Riot were being discriminated against. For example, some noted that ideas from female employees were overlooked while the same ideas from male employees were readily accepted, and some female employees were groomed for more senior positions only to be passed up by a new male hire. These employees described Riot's working environment as a "bro culture". Other allegations included receiving images of male genitalia from colleagues and bosses, an email thread speculating on what it would be like to penetrate a female employee, and a list shared among senior staff members detailing which female employees they would sleep with. Kotaku speculated that this came from Riot's history of generally catering to "core" gamers both in products and in hiring practices, causing the company to favor male employees over females.[66]

Some Riot employees approached by Kotaku asserted these accusations were not true or were already being addressed; for example, according to the head of the platform, Oksana Kubushyna, efforts to improve the hiring process to be more diverse and inclusive toward women started nine months before article's publication. Riot Games' corporate communications lead Joe Hixson acknowledged the problems and said they did not align with Riot's core values. Furthermore, he said that all Riot employees must be held accountable for the working environment.[67]

In the week following Kotakus article, several more current and former developers came forward to speak on their own experiences at Riot, which included claims of sexual harassment and misgendering. In a statement to Gamasutra, Hixson indicated that the company is taking action based on the story and its response. He elaborated that, in regards to claims of misbehavior by higher-level executives at Riot, the seniority of the individuals would have no impact on disciplinary proceedings.[68] By the end of August 2018, Riot revealed they were implementing seven "first steps" to change the company's internal culture in light of the issues raised, including a "Culture and Diversity & Inclusion Initiative" priority.[69] To help implement these, Riot hired Frances X. Frei as a senior adviser for diversity, leadership, and strategy.[70]

As a response to the Kotaku article, Riot offered a session at PAX West in 2018 for prospective video game developers with a panel and one-on-one sessions to review résumés; the session only admitted women and non-binary people. Members of Riot's game communities expressed outrage at the exclusion of men, while Riot employees defended the decision as such gender-exclusive support was necessary to correct the male-dominated nature of video game development. Some of the feedback towards Riot included harassment and threats. In response to a shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, in August 2018, Riot planned to increase security at its upcoming events.[71] Two employees of Riot attempted to address the feedback from the PAX event; one was fired, and the other left the company. Riot stated that these departures were separate from their Diversity Initiative.[72]

In December 2018, Riot's CEO Nicolo Laurent sent an email to all employees stating that following the company's internal investigation, their COO, Scott Gelb, was suspended for two months without pay for workplace misconduct and would take training classes before his return. Riot stated to Kotaku that there were still other cases they were investigating, but they did not involve those as senior as Gelb, and thus they would not discuss these cases publicly.[73] By January 2019, Riot updated the company values on its website, the first time since 2012, to reflect the apparent "bro culture" mentioned in the Kotaku report,[74] and by February 2019, had hired Angela Roseboro as the company's chief diversity officer to further help improve their culture by managing all activity related to diversity and inclusion as well as guiding the recruiting team in promoting inclusivity for new hires.[75]

About three months after Kotakus story, one current and one former Riot employee filed a lawsuit against the company, asserting the company engaged in gender discrimination concerning their pay and position, and that the company had created a "sexually-hostile" workplace. The lawsuit seeks to qualify it as a class-action suit, and for damages to be based on unpaid wages, damages, and other factors to be determined at trial.[76] Three other employees followed with their own lawsuits against Riot Games in the months that followed. Riot Games attempted to have two of the suits dismissed in April 2019, citing that the two female plaintiffs of these suits, when hired, had agreed to third-party arbitration rather than taking court action.[77] Internally, several employees of Riot threatened to walk out, an idea that had been around since the first Kotaku article, as alongside the coercion to use arbitration, these employees felt Riot had yet to improve its transparency on the processes and had otherwise continued to retain Gelb despite his suspension.

A proposed settlement was reached in the class-action suit in August 2019, which would include at least in damages to women that had been employed at Riot Games over the prior five years.[78] Representatives of the class indicated that they thought it would lead to change, while Riot said that there were other issues not covered by the suit, and that they also intended to resolve the unacknowledged issues.[79]

California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) had been investigating claims of gender discrimination at Riot Games since October 2018. In June 2019, DFEH announced that Riot had denied providing them requested documents and were seeking action to compel these documents, though Riot responded by saying that they complied with all DFEH requests.[80] Upon word of the settlement, the department filed a complaint with the court that stated they believed the settlement was far too low, estimating that the lawsuit potentially could have been worth as much as . The state's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement also filed a complaint, believing the settlement would release Riot from labor liabilities that had been raised by the lawsuit. Both complaints urged the court to reject the proposed settlement.[81] Riot dismissed the DFEH's larger value to the suit, and denied charges raised by the DFEH that it had colluded with the class's lawyer to reduce the amount they would pay through the settlement.[82]

As a result of the state's findings that the terms of the settlement should have been valued higher, the class withdrew the proposed settlement and dropped their original legal counsel, bringing on new lawyers who had been involved in prior lawsuits related to the Me Too movement in February 2020.[83] In response, Riot said they found the figure "fair and adequate under the circumstances" after analysis, but were remaining committed to reaching a resolution.[84] In August 2021, DFEH asserted that Riot was interfering in their ongoing investigations by falsely informing employees that they could not speak to DFEH directly; while the court ordered Riot to issue a memo to all employees that they legally could speak to DFEH, Riot had yet to comply with this order.[85] By the end of 2021, Riot had agreed to a new settlement with the DEFH and employees of, with going to the impacted employees.[86] The settlement was approved in July 2022.[87] Riot will compensate 1,548 female employees between $2,500 and $40,000 each as part of the settlement.[88]

Riot and Laurent were sued by Laurent's former assistant in January 2021 on sexual discrimination charges, which included inappropriate language and labor mistreatment.[89] Riot opened an investigation by three members of its board of directors into Laurent's behavior in response to the lawsuit. They reported in March 2021 that "We concluded that there was no evidence that Laurent harassed, discriminated, or retaliated against the plaintiff. We have therefore concluded that at the current time … no action should be taken against Laurent."[90]

Alienware which had sponsored Riot's League of Legends esports events, ended its partnership with Riot a year earlier than their contract term in March 2021 due to the ongoing litigation over the sexual harassment allegations.[91]

Dispute over forced arbitration clauses

Riot has also been criticized by its employees for requiring the use of forced arbitration in its employment contracts as a result of the gender discrimination lawsuit. Riot allowed employees to speak anonymously with the press, and indicated their intent to use town hall meetings and smaller group discussions with Roseboro and employees to determine future action.[92] Riot also committed to removing mandatory arbitration in new employee contracts and potentially for existing ones after the current litigation had been settled.[93] Additionally, Riot established a 90-day plan starting in May 2019 to continue to address internal issues related to diversity and inclusion.[94] Despite this, over one hundred Riot employees staged their walkout on May 6, 2019, demanding that Riot end forced arbitration for all past and current employees as well.[95] About two weeks following the walkout, Riot reverted their position, saying that they will not change forced arbitration in existing agreements while the current litigation against the company is ongoing.[96]

Others

Freedom of expression

In the context of the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, Riot Games took action to discourage political statements during its live events, claiming that overt statements on politics, religion, and other sensitive topics "cannot be fairly represented in the forum [their] broadcast provides", and has asserted that the company bears responsibility for ensuring "that statements or actions on [their] official platforms [...] do not escalate potentially sensitive situations."[97]

In 2019, players discovered that words that are politically sensitive in China, including Tiananmen and Uyghur, were censored in League of Legends. The censorship varied by server and language, with some restrictions being lifted after complaints were posted to Reddit.[98]

George Floyd

In June 2020, Ron Johnson, Riot Games' global head of consumer products, shared a Facebook post that claimed George Floyd had been killed by police "because of his criminal lifestyle". The company subsequently placed Johnson on leave to conduct an investigation, after which Johnson resigned from the company.[99] [100] [101] [102]

Sponsorship with Saudi Arabian city

Riot had announced a planned partnership with the developing city of Neom in Saudi Arabia in July 2020, with the city to sponsor the upcoming League of Legends European Championship series. Shortly after the announcement, fans of the game, as well as Riot employees, criticized the company over social media and their streaming channels over the partnership, citing Saudi Arabia's record on human rights and the violent attempts to evict the Howeitat tribe from the area during the city's construction. Riot canceled the partnership within a few days in response, apologizing and saying that the partnership had been rushed.[103]

Marketing using a character’s mental health struggles

Riot was criticized for marketing a new League of Legends character, Seraphine,[104] by creating an in-character Twitter account in which they alluded to her struggles with her mental health, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and impostor syndrome.[105] Some wrote that the account was an attempt to trick players into feeling close to her in an attempt to advertise.[104] Creative director Patrick Morales said that, although he was "proud" of the members of the team who worked on the campaign, it had "an unintended impact outside of the narrative we wanted to tell".[104]

Response to Russian invasion of Ukraine

After Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Riot Games did not withdraw from the Russian market after being asked to do so by Ukrainian politician Mykhailo Fedorov.[106] In March 2022, Riot donated the proceeds from battle passes sold in several of its games, as well as profit from some in-game items, to humanitarian relief organizations operating in Ukraine.[107] According to Riot, these donations totaled $5.4 million.[108]

Litigation

In 2017, Riot Games filed a lawsuit against Moonton Technology Co., the developer of the mobile game , because of copyright infringement, citing similarities between Mobile Legends and League of Legends. The case was initially dismissed in California on account of forum non conveniens. Tencent, on behalf of Riot Games, then filed a new lawsuit in a Chinese court, which ruled in Tencent's favor in July 2018, awarding it in damages.[109] [110]

In October 2019, Riot Games filed a lawsuit against Riot Squad Esports LLC, a Chicago-based esports organization founded in March 2019, alleging that Riot Squad intentionally infringed on Riot Games' "Riot" trademark.[111] [112]

Games

YearTitleGenre(s)Platform(s)
2009League of LegendsMultiplayer online battle arenamacOS, Windows
2019Teamfight TacticsAuto battlerAndroid, iOS, macOS, Windowsrowspan="3"
2020Multiplayer online battle arenaAndroid, iOS, unrevealed consoles
Legends of RuneterraDigital collectible card gameAndroid, iOS, Windows
ValorantFirst-person shooterPlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S
LoL Esports ManagerSimulationAndroid, iOS, Windows
2XKOFightingPlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/Srowspan="2"
Project FAction role-playing, hack and slashrowspan="2"
UnknownMMORPG

Minigames

YearTitleGenre(s)Platform(s)Developer(s)
2013Astro TeemoArcadeBrowserPure Bang Games
2014Cho'Gath Eats the World
2015Blitzcrank's Poro RoundupAndroid, iOS
2017Ziggs Arcade BlastWindowsRiot Games
2018Star Guardian: InsomniaShoot 'em up
Project.execute
Super Zac BallSports

Riot Forge

YearTitleDeveloperGenre(s)Platform(s)
2021Ruined KingAirship SyndicateRole-playingNintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Hextech MayhemChoice ProvisionsRhythmNintendo Switch, Windows
2023ConvergenceDouble StallionAction platformerWindowsrowspan="3"
Song of NunuTequila WorksAdventureNintendo Switch, Windows
The MageseekerDigital SunPixel art action RPGNintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2024Bandle TaleLazy Bear GamesRole-playing farming simulationNintendo Switch, Windows

Tabletop games

In October 2016, Riot Games released Mechs vs. Minions, a cooperative tabletop game based on League of Legends.[113] [114] Riot's first tabletop game under Riot Tabletop was , a bluffing game for two or four players, released in 2020.[115] [116]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Who We Are .
  2. Web site: The past, present and future of League of Legends studio Riot Games . Phil . Kollar . September 13, 2016 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180612194103/https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/13/12891656/the-past-present-and-future-of-league-of-legends-studio-riot-games . June 12, 2018 . live.
  3. News: Crecente . Brian . October 27, 2019 . The origin story of League of Legends . November 9, 2020 . The Washington Post . And in their minds, the Warcraft III mod didn’t clear the way just for the birth of a new genre of gameplay known as a multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA, it also proved the viability of a still relatively young concept in gaming: Games as a service.. November 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201116220755/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/10/27/league-legends-is-now-years-old-this-is-story-its-birth/. live.
  4. Web site: Blakely . Lindsay . Helm . Burt . December 2016 . Why Riot Games Is Inc.'s 2016 Company of the Year . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180525002802/https://www.inc.com/magazine/201612/burt-helm-lindsay-blakely/company-of-the-year-riot-games.html. May 25, 2018. June 25, 2018 . Inc..
  5. Riot Games Celebrates Ten Years By Announcing Huge League Of Legends Numbers . Brian . Shea . September 13, 2016 . . July 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190723121459/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/09/13/riot-games-celebrates-ten-years-with-huge-league-of-legends-numbers.aspx . July 23, 2019 . dead.
  6. News: League of Legends is now 10 years old. This is the story of its birth. . Brian . Crecente . October 27, 2019 . . July 20, 2020 . November 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201116220755/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/10/27/league-legends-is-now-years-old-this-is-story-its-birth/ . live.
  7. News: Crecente . Brian . October 27, 2019 . The origin story of League of Legends . December 26, 2020 . The Washington Post . "We originally just wanted to be a game developer, but then when we talked to publishers at the time they were like, 'Wait, you're not going to have single player (gameplay) and you want the game to be free and virtual? What are you talking about?" Merrill said.. November 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201116220755/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/10/27/league-legends-is-now-years-old-this-is-story-its-birth/. live.
  8. Web site: Riot Games Get a $7M Launch . Leigh . Alexander . July 10, 2008 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030159/https://kotaku.com/5023761/riot-games-get-a-7m-launch . June 26, 2018 . live.
  9. Web site: Riot Games secures $8 million investment . Kath . Brice . September 10, 2009 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001612/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/riot-games-secures-USD8-million-investment . June 26, 2018 . live.
  10. Web site: Ten League of Legends Games are Started Every Second . Nick . Kolan . July 26, 2011 . . October 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191017081437/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/07/26/ten-league-of-legends-games-are-started-every-second . October 17, 2019 . live.
  11. Web site: Riot Games to close Brighton office, relocate staff to Dublin HQ . Matthew . Jarvis . March 8, 2016 . . October 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191017075958/https://www.mcvuk.com/riot-games-to-close-brighton-office-relocate-staff-to-dublin-hq/ . October 17, 2019 . live.
  12. Web site: Tencent Takes Full Control Of 'League Of Legends' Creator Riot Games . Jon . Russell . December 17, 2015 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001612/https://techcrunch.com/2015/12/17/tencent-takes-full-control-of-league-of-legends-creator-riot-games/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  13. Web site: Riot Games now owned entirely by Tencent . Allegra . Frank . December 16, 2015 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190407071323/https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/16/10326320/riot-games-now-owned-entirely-by-tencent . April 7, 2019 . live.
  14. Web site: How One Video Game Company Is Leading the Charge Against Online Harassment . Amanda . Hess . May 16, 2014 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626002018/http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/05/16/online_harassment_in_video_games_how_riot_games_remedied_its_league_of_legends.html . June 26, 2018 . live.
  15. Web site: Using science to reform toxic player behavior in League of Legends . Dennis . Scimeca . May 16, 2013 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030136/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/05/using-science-to-reform-toxic-player-behavior-in-league-of-legends/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  16. Web site: LeJacq . Yannick . March 25, 2015 . How League Of Legends Enables Toxicity . December 24, 2020 . Kotaku. September 26, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200926090344/https://kotaku.com/how-league-of-legends-enables-toxicity-1693572469. live.
  17. Web site: League Of Legends is still the biggest video game in the world . GameCentral . August 4, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001557/https://metro.co.uk/2017/08/04/league-of-legends-is-still-the-biggest-video-game-in-the-world-6828565/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  18. Web site: "League Of Legends," The Most-Played PC Game In The World, Runs On The Same Open Hardware As Facebook . January 25, 2013 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030137/https://techcrunch.com/2013/01/24/league-of-legends-the-most-played-pc-game-in-the-world-runs-on-the-same-open-hardware-as-facebook/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  19. Web site: Riot Games Moving to Huge New Campus in 2015 . Chris . Pereira . November 8, 2013 . . November 8, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131108202434/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/08/riot-games-moving-to-huge-new-campus-in-2015 . November 8, 2013 . live.
  20. Web site: Riot Games acquires Rising Thunder and Stonehearth studio Radiant Entertainment . Michael . McWhertor . March 8, 2016 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030142/https://www.polygon.com/2016/3/8/11181204/riot-games-acquires-radiant-entertainment . June 26, 2018 . live.
  21. Web site: Acquired by Riot, Radiant shuts down Rising Thunder . Alex . Wawro . March 8, 2016 . . July 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180707172310/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/267541/Acquired_by_Riot_Radiant_shuts_down_Rising_Thunder.php . July 7, 2018 . live.
  22. League of Legends Developers Are Working on a New Game . Brian . Crecente . October 13, 2017 . . December 20, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171116084156/http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/news/league-of-legends-developers-are-working-on-a-new-game-w508720 . November 16, 2017 . live.
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  24. Web site: The World's Biggest Game Company Just Keeps Getting Bigger . Jason . Schreier . May 24, 2018 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030226/https://kotaku.com/the-world-s-biggest-game-company-just-keeps-getting-big-1826294558 . June 26, 2018 . live.
  25. Web site: Offices . Riot Games . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001607/https://www.riotgames.com/en/work-with-us/offices . June 26, 2018 . live.
  26. Web site: Riot celebrates ten years of 'LoL' by finally announcing new games . Richard . Lawler . October 15, 2019 . . October 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191016125621/https://www.engadget.com/2019/10/15/riot-games-lol-project/ . October 16, 2019 . live.
  27. Web site: Everything Riot announced for League of Legends' 10th anniversary . Jeff . Grubb . October 15, 2019 . . October 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191016224842/https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/15/everything-riot-announced-for-league-of-legends-10th-anniversary/ . October 16, 2019 . live.
  28. Web site: Riot's shooter Valorant goes into beta on April 7th . Webster . Andrew . March 30, 2020 . . . May 4, 2021 . April 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200411204243/https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/30/21199452/valorant-multiplayer-shooter-riot-closed-beta-date . live .
  29. Web site: Riot Games announces June 2 release date for VALORANT . Erzberger . Tyler . . May 4, 2021 . May 22, 2020 . June 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200607190605/https://tv5.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/29204568/riot-games-announces-june-2-release-date-valorant . live .
  30. Web site: Riot launches publishing label to create even more League of Legends games . Andrew . Webster . December 5, 2019 . . December 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191206004302/https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20993328/riot-forge-publishing-label-league-of-legends-games . December 6, 2019 . live.
  31. Web site: Ruined King and Convergence are the first indie League of Legends spinoffs . Andrew . Webster . December 12, 2019 . December 13, 2019 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20191213052042/https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/12/21012514/league-of-legends-riot-indie-game-ruined-king-the-game-awards-tga . December 13, 2019 . live.
  32. Web site: Riot Games launches new tabletop division . Haydn . Taylor . January 14, 2020 . . January 14, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200114172223/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-01-14-riot-games-launches-new-tabletop-division . January 14, 2020 . live.
  33. Web site: Riot continues to expand beyond League by acquiring studio behind Minecraft-like game . Andrew . Webster . April 16, 2020 . April 16, 2020 . . April 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200416203617/https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/16/21223667/riot-games-league-of-legends-hypixel-studios-minecraft-hytale . live.
  34. Web site: Riot Games to open new studio in Singapore . Rebekah . Valentine . April 23, 2020 . April 23, 2020 . . April 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200425104057/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-04-23-riot-games-to-open-new-studio-in-singapore . live.
  35. Web site: Riot Games hires first ever chief marketing officer . Marie . Dealessandri . October 22, 2010 . . October 22, 2020 . October 22, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201022160737/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-10-22-riot-games-hires-first-ever-chief-marketing-officer . live.
  36. Web site: Riot Games acquires media tech firm Kanga Talent . Danielle . Partis . October 15, 2021 . . October 16, 2021 . October 15, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211015164315/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-10-15-riot-games-acquires-media-tech-firm-kanga-talent . live .
  37. Web site: Goslin . Austen . 2021-11-06 . Netflix's Arcane is the best story League of Legends has ever had . 2021-12-15 . Polygon . December 11, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211211071733/https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22766070/arcane-review-netflix-league-of-legends . live .
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  39. Web site: Riot announces new equity investment in Arcane's animation studio, Fortiche Production . Tyler . Esguerra . March 14, 2022 . . June 13, 2022 . June 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220613080440/https://dotesports.com/business/news/riot-new-equity-investment-arcane-animation-studio-fortiche-production . live .
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  41. Web site: 2022-10-17 . Riot games acquires Wargaming Sydney Studio . 2022-10-17 . GamesIndustry.biz . en . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017180258/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/riot-games-acquires-wargaming-sydney-studio . live .
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  43. Web site: Hackers try to sell LoL source code for $700,000 on the web . February 14, 2023 . egamersworld.
  44. Web site: Riot Games Hacker is Now Selling League of Legends Source Code for $700,000 on Black Market, Includes Anti-Cheat Software . February 8, 2023 . esportsheaven.
  45. Web site: Riot Forge - News . 2023-11-18 . Riot Forge.
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  47. Web site: Riot Games Lays Off 530 Employees, Sunsetting Riot Forge . Luis Joshua . Gutierrez . January 22, 2024 . January 22, 2024 . .
  48. Web site: Riot Games Shuts Down Effort to Build a Streaming Rival to Twitch . Cecilia . D'Anastasio . January 25, 2024 . January 26, 2024 . .
  49. Web site: Ettinger . Marlon . 2024-03-12 . Sam Bankman-Fried's love of 'League of Legends' cited in billion-dollar suit against Riot Games . 2024-05-02 . The Daily Dot . en-US.
  50. Web site: Spangler . Todd . November 20, 2017 . Ten Franchise Teams for 'League of Legends' North American eSports League Unveiled . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180904213434/https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/league-of-legends-north-america-league-teams-esports-1202619230/. September 4, 2018. June 25, 2018 . Variety.
  51. Web site: Wolf . Jacob . March 27, 2018 . European League Championship Series changes to include salary increase, franchising and rev share . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030134/http://www.espn.co.uk/esports/story/_/id/22933422/european-league-championship-series-changes-include-salary-increase-franchising-rev-share. June 26, 2018. June 25, 2018 . ESPN.
  52. News: Conditt . Jess . July 21, 2020 . Here's what the next 10 years of LoL Esports will look like . Engadget . September 8, 2022 . September 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927172933/https://www.engadget.com/league-of-legends-esports-lol-rebrand-logo-global-150019678.html . live .
  53. News: Zucosky . Andrew . June 16, 2021 . Riot Games picks League of Legends World Championship's host cities for 2021 . Digital Trends . September 8, 2022 . September 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927172937/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/league-of-legends-world-championship-2021-host-cities/ . live .
  54. Web site: ESPN+ to Live-Stream 'League of Legends' Esports Events Under New, Non-Exclusive Pact . Todd . Spangler . May 25, 2018 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001605/https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/espn-league-of-legends-esports-disney-1202821402/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  55. News: League Of Legends Mid-Season Invitational – What You Need To Know! . Michael . Johnson . May 3, 2016 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001530/https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/03/league-of-legends-mid-season-invitational-3/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  56. Web site: Against All Odds, Cloud9 Makes It Into The League Of Legends World Championship . Yannick . LeJacq . September 1, 2015 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030211/https://kotaku.com/against-all-odds-cloud-9-makes-it-into-league-of-legen-1728040207 . June 26, 2018 . live.
  57. Web site: How a dynasty was toppled at the League of Legends World Championship . Cassandra . Marshall . November 5, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626001557/https://www.pcgamer.com/how-a-dynasty-was-toppled-at-the-league-of-legends-world-championship/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  58. Web site: Riot Games Esports Co-Head Talks 'League of Legends' 2017 World Championship . Tom Jr. . Huddleston . October 20, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626030150/http://fortune.com/2017/10/20/riot-games-esports-lol-world-championship/ . June 26, 2018 . live.
  59. Web site: Sources: Warriors co-owner lands League of Legends franchise spot . Jacob . Wolf . October 13, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625204433/http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21003601/league-legends-golden-state-warriors-co-owner-joe-lacob-lands-north-american-league-championship-series-franchise-spot . June 25, 2018 . live.
  60. Web site: Warriors, Cavs and Rockets officially enter League of Legends . Tyler . Erzberger . November 20, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625204438/http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21475314/golden-state-warriors-cleveland-cavaliers-houston-rockets-officially-enter-league-legends-championship-series . June 25, 2018 . live.
  61. Web site: To Buy Into This Video Gaming League, It's at Least $10 Million . Eben . Novy-Williams . Joshua . Brustein . June 1, 2017 . . June 25, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180626075546/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-01/to-buy-into-this-video-gaming-league-it-s-at-least-10-million . June 26, 2018 . live.
  62. Web site: Denzer . TJ . 24 November 2020 . Valorant Champions Tour to feature global competition in 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210316000901/https://www.shacknews.com/article/121683/valorant-champions-tour-to-feature-global-competition-in-2021 . 2021-03-16 . 2021-05-04 . Shacknews.
  63. Web site: Dachman . Jason . 2021-10-28 . Riot Games Takes Esports Production Global With 'Project Stryker' Remote Broadcast Centers in Dublin, Seattle, APAC . 2022-10-17 . Sports Video Group . en . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017183158/https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/10/28/riot-games-takes-esports-production-global-with-project-stryker-remote-broadcast-centers-in-dublin-seattle-apac/ . live .
  64. News: Riot Games launches Dublin esports broadcast centre . 2022-10-17 . The Irish Times . en . October 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017183157/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2022/07/20/riot-games-launches-dublin-esports-broadcast-centre/ . live .
  65. Web site: Riot files to terminate League of Legends sponsorship deal with failed crypto exchange FTX . Ted . Litchfield . December 17, 2022 . December 18, 2022 . . December 17, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221217195716/https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-files-to-terminate-relationship-with-failed-crypto-exchange-ftx/ . live .
  66. Web site: Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games . Cecilia . D'Anastasio . August 7, 2018 . . August 8, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809025752/https://kotaku.com/inside-the-culture-of-sexism-at-riot-games-1828165483 . August 9, 2018 . live.
  67. Web site: Riot Games responds to report alleging sexual harassment . Jacob . Wolf . August 8, 2018 . . August 8, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809025747/http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/24314161/riot-games-responds-report-alleging-sexual-harassment . August 9, 2018 . live.
  68. Web site: Francis . Bryant . August 13, 2018 . Devs corroborate claims of sexist culture as Riot looks for way forward . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180813215916/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/324333/Devs_corroborate_claims_of_sexist_culture_as_Riot_looks_for_way_forward.php. August 13, 2018. August 13, 2018 . Gamasutra.
  69. Web site: Riot Games commits to 'seven steps' to drive cultural change around sexism and harassment . Andy . Chalk . August 29, 2018 . . August 29, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180830005306/https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-games-commits-to-seven-steps-to-drive-cultural-change/ . August 30, 2018 . live.
  70. Web site: Riot Games hires former Uber exec Frances Frei as senior diversity and culture adviser . Dean . Takahashi . September 11, 2018 . . September 12, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180912092039/https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/11/riot-games-hires-former-uber-exec-frances-frei-as-senior-diversity-and-culture-adviser/ . September 12, 2018 . live.
  71. Web site: A PAX West panel adds to the current Riot Games controversy . Cass . Marshall . September 4, 2018 . . September 4, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180904225955/https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/4/17810676/pax-west-panel-league-of-legends-riot-games-controversy . September 4, 2018 . live.
  72. Web site: Two Riot Games employees depart after defending a women-only PAX West event to League players . Shannon . Liao . September 7, 2018 . . September 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180907211925/https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/7/17827796/riot-games-employee-depart-women-only-pax-west-event . September 7, 2018 . live.
  73. Web site: Top Riot Executive Suspended Without Pay Following Investigation Over Workplace Misconduct . Cecilia . D'Anastasio . December 13, 2018 . . December 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181214011851/https://kotaku.com/top-riot-executive-suspended-without-pay-following-inve-1831084598 . December 14, 2018 . live.
  74. Web site: Riot Games updates company values following "bro culture" toxicity claims . Haydn . Taylor . January 15, 2019 . . January 15, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190115234437/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-01-15-riot-games-updates-company-values-following-claims-around-companys-toxic-bro-culture . January 15, 2019 . live.
  75. Web site: Riot Games hires a chief diversity officer to address toxic workplace culture . Shannon . Laio . March 1, 2019 . . March 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190302121239/https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/1/18246622/riot-games-chief-diversity-officer-hire-sexism-allegations-toxic-culture . March 2, 2019 . live.
  76. Web site: Current And Former Employees Sue Riot Games For Gender Discrimination . Cecilia . D'Anastasio . November 6, 2018 . . November 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181106222343/https://kotaku.com/current-and-former-employees-sue-riot-games-for-gender-1830262786 . November 6, 2018 . live.
  77. Web site: Riot Files Motions To Block Current Employees From Taking Legal Action . Cecila . D'Anastasio . April 26, 2019 . . April 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190426203212/https://kotaku.com/riot-files-motions-to-block-former-employees-from-takin-1834335897 . April 26, 2019 . live.
  78. Web site: Riot Games will pay $10 million to settle gender discrimination suit . Sam . Dean . December 2, 2019 . December 2, 2019 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20191202201623/https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2019-12-02/riot-games-gender-discrimination-settlement . December 2, 2019 . live.
  79. Web site: Riot Games Settles Class Action Lawsuit Over Gender Discrimination . Matt . Kim . August 23, 2019 . . August 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190823030850/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/08/23/riot-games-settles-class-action-lawsuit-over-gender-discrimination . August 23, 2019 . live.
  80. Web site: The State Of California Is Investigating Riot Games For Gender Discrimination . Cecila . D'Anastasio . June 12, 2019 . . June 13, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190613015602/https://kotaku.com/the-state-of-california-is-investigating-riot-games-for-1835463823 . June 13, 2019 . live.
  81. Web site: California Slams $10 Million Riot Games Sex Bias Settlement . Edvard . Pettersson . January 21, 2020 . January 22, 2020 . . January 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200123040349/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-21/california-slams-10-million-riot-games-sex-bias-accord . live.
  82. Web site: Riot Games denies collusion in gender discrimination lawsuit . Haydn . Taylor . January 24, 2020 . January 24, 2020 . . January 25, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200125031727/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-01-24-riot-games-denies-collusion-in-gender-discrimination-lawsuit . live.
  83. Web site: New legal counsel takes over class action lawsuit against Riot Games . Haydn . Taylor . February 21, 2020 . February 21, 2020 . . February 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200221160247/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-02-21-class-action-lawsuit-withdraws-settlement-proposal-and-brings-in-new-legal-counsel . live.
  84. Web site: Riot insists $10m settlement for gender discrimination lawsuit is "fair and adequate" . Alex . Calvin . February 24, 2020 . February 24, 2020 . . February 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200224160125/https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/70560/riot-insists-10m-settlement-for-gender-discrimination-lawsuit-is-fair-and-adequate/ . live.
  85. Web site: Riot must let workers talk to 'unlawful workplace' investigators, California says . Nicole . Carpenter . August 16, 2021 . August 16, 2021 . . August 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210816221749/https://www.polygon.com/22627866/riot-games-lawsuit-workers-rights-sexual-harassment-discrimination . live .
  86. Web site: Riot Games to Pay $100 Million After Reaching a Settlement Over Gender Discrimination Lawsuit . Adam . Bankhurst . December 27, 2021 . December 27, 2021 . . December 28, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211228045030/https://www.ign.com/articles/riot-games-to-pay-80-million-settlement-gender-discrimination-lawsuit . live .
  87. Web site: More than 1,000 women to receive share of Riot Games' $100m gender discrimination settlement . James . Batchelor . July 26, 2022 . July 26, 2022 . . July 26, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220726105313/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-07-26-more-than-1-000-women-to-receive-share-of-riot-games-usd100m-gender-discrimination-settlement . live .
  88. Web site: Riot Games to compensate 1,548 women in gender discrimination case . James . Batchelor . May 5, 2023 . May 5, 2023 . .
  89. Web site: Riot Games CEO Sued for Sexual Discrimination by His Assistant . Jason . Koebler . Matthew . Gault . Emanuel . Maiberg . February 9, 2021 . February 9, 2021 . . February 9, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210209212835/https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5b3zm/riot-games-ceo-sued-for-sexual-discrimination-by-his-assistant . live .
  90. News: Riot Games board finds no wrongdoing by CEO Nicolo Laurent, denies misconduct allegations in new court filing . Mikhail . Klimentov . March 16, 2021 . March 16, 2021 . . March 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210316185124/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/03/16/nicolo-laurent-lawsuit-riot-games/ . live .
  91. Web site: Alienware ends Riot partnership due to sexual harassment lawsuit, claims report . Andy . Chalk . March 15, 2021 . March 15, 2021 . . March 16, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210316201327/https://www.pcgamer.com/alienware-ends-riot-partnership-due-to-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-claims-report/ . live .
  92. Web site: 'League of Legends' Studio Faces Employee Walkout, Promises Changes . Patrick . Klepek . April 29, 2019 . . April 29, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190429213137/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/gy4qv7/league-of-legends-studio-faces-employee-walkout-promises-changes . April 29, 2019 . live.
  93. Web site: Riot Games will drop mandatory arbitration following walkout threats . James . Batchelor . May 3, 2019 . . May 3, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190503150458/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-03-riot-games-will-drop-mandatory-arbitration-following-walkout-threats . May 3, 2019 . live.
  94. Web site: Riot has revealed a 90-day plan to tackle diversity and inclusion . Fraser . Brown . May 3, 2019 . . May 3, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190503150916/https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-has-revealed-a-90-day-plan-to-tackle-diversity-and-inclusion/ . May 3, 2019 . live.
  95. Web site: Over 100 Riot Games Employees Walked Out Today to End Forced Arbitration . Matthew . Gault . Nicole . Clark . May 6, 2019 . . May 6, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190506215257/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/evyz7p/over-100-riot-games-employees-walked-out-today-to-end-forced-arbitration . May 6, 2019 . live.
  96. Web site: Riot ignores calls to scrap mandatory arbitration for all employees . Chris . Kerr . May 17, 2019 . . May 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190517212617/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/342904/Riot_ignores_calls_to_scrap_mandatory_arbitration_for_all_employees.php . May 17, 2019 . live.
  97. Web site: Grayson . Nathan . October 11, 2019 . Riot Forbids League Of Legends Players And Commentators From Discussing Politics On Air . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20191012004137/https://kotaku.com/riot-forbids-league-of-legends-players-and-commentators-1838978263 . October 12, 2019 . October 12, 2019 . Kotaku.
  98. News: Liotta . Edoardo . 2019-10-22 . How Reddit Users Caught 'League of Legends' Censoring Words Like 'Uyghur,' 'Genocide,' and 'Tiananmen' . 2024-03-12 . en.
  99. News: Riot Games Executive Says George Floyd Was Murdered By Police Because Of His "Criminal Lifestyle" . en-US . Kotaku . June 11, 2020. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611014045/https://kotaku.com/riot-games-executive-says-george-floyd-was-murdered-by-1843987857. live.
  100. Web site: Prescott . Shaun . June 11, 2020 . Riot Games executive under internal investigation for George Floyd comments . June 11, 2020 . PC Gamer . en-US. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611104951/https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-games-executive-under-internal-investigation-for-george-floyd-comments/. live.
  101. Web site: Riot Games Exec Placed on Leave Over George Floyd Post . June 11, 2020 . The Hollywood Reporter . June 10, 2020 . en. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611104951/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/riot-games-exec-placed-leave-george-floyd-post-1297918. live.
  102. Web site: Riot Games Executive Resigns After Sharing Controversial George Floyd Image . Aron . Gast . June 11, 2020 . June 11, 2020 . . June 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200612063000/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/riot-games-executive-resigns-after-sharing-controv/1100-6478364/ . live.
  103. Web site: Riot Games ends Saudi Arabia's Neom partnership following controversy . Nicole . Carpenter . July 29, 2020 . July 30, 2020 . . July 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200730083043/https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/29/21347587/riot-games-saudi-arabia-neom-partnership-league-european-championship-lec . live.
  104. Web site: Lee . Julia . November 3, 2020 . Riot on how League of Legends' latest character may have gotten a little too real . November 9, 2020 . Polygon . en. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108232626/https://www.polygon.com/interviews/2020/11/3/21548141/seraphine-controversy-league-of-legends-twitter. live.
  105. Web site: Jackson . Gita . October 15, 2020 . League of Legends' Fake Anime Pop Star Is Sad Tweeting About Genocide . November 9, 2020 . Vice. November 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114181130/https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8g87/league-of-legends-fake-anime-pop-star-is-sad-tweeting-about-genocide. live.
  106. Web site: Ukrainian gov't calls for game companies to cut off Russia during invasion [Updated] . March 3, 2022 . November 27, 2022 . November 27, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221127004300/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/03/ukraine-asks-game-industry-to-block-russian-accounts-as-punishment-for-invasion/ . live .
  107. News: Bonifacic . Igor . March 7, 2022 . Riot Games will donate proceeds from in-game passes to Ukraine relief . Engadget . October 20, 2022.
  108. News: Grimshaw . Jack . March 31, 2022 . Riot Games donates £4.1million to humanitarian charities supporting Ukraine . NME . October 20, 2022.
  109. Web site: Riot Games parent Tencent wins $2.9 million in lawsuit against Moonton CEO . Aaron . Mickunas . July 18, 2018 . . November 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190711104720/https://dotesports.com/league-of-legends/news/source-riot-games-parent-tencent-wins-lawsuit-mobile-legends-31079 . July 11, 2019 . live.
  110. Web site: Tencent Wins Lawsuit Over 'League of Legends' Copycat . Liz . Lanier . July 19, 2018 . . November 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190330075502/https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/riot-games-tencent-wins-lawsuit-league-of-legends-copy-1202878322/ . March 30, 2019 . live.
  111. Web site: Riot Games files lawsuit against esports organization over 'Riot' trademark . Nicole . Carpenter . October 10, 2019 . . November 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191010191617/https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/10/20908027/riot-games-copyright-trademark-lawsuit-riot-squad . October 10, 2019 . live.
  112. Web site: Riot Games sues esports Riot Squad over trademark infringement . Andy . Chalk . October 11, 2019 . . November 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191018222204/https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-games-sues-esports-organzation-riot-squad-over-trademark-infringement/ . October 18, 2019 . live .
  113. Web site: League of Legends board game, Mechs Vs. Minions, pits Yordles against trash mobs . Kirk . McKeand . September 20, 2016 . . October 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190802183735/https://www.pcgamesn.com/league-of-legends/league-of-legends-board-game-mechs-vs-minions . August 2, 2019 . live.
  114. Web site: League of Legends: Mechs vs Minions review – a challenging triumph . Owen . Duffy . October 24, 2016 . . October 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190802180731/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/oct/24/league-of-legends-mechs-vs-minions-review . August 2, 2019 . live.
  115. Web site: League of Legends developer Riot Games is making new board games . Charlie . Hall . January 13, 2020 . . January 16, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200114165439/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/13/21063835/league-of-legends-developer-tabletop-tellstones-release-date-price . January 14, 2020 . live.
  116. Web site: Hall . Charlie . 2020-09-16 . Tellstones is a beautifully made game that's too easy to put down . 2020-12-24 . Polygon . en . May 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210513061518/https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/16/21438778/tellstones-riot-games-new-tabletop-game-release-date-price . live .

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