A Historic Settlement for Riot Games
Activision Blizzard isn’t the only game studio facing the consequences for rampant workplace discrimination. Developers for Valorant and League of Legends, Riot Games has apparently faced long-standing issues related to gender discrimination at their workplace. Of course, the state of California has been dealing with those, too. And now that topics like those are a hot-button issue, Riot has nowhere to hide.
$10 million was the original figure for the settlement, back in 2019. And then, things changed. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing blocked the agreement, saying that it wasn’t enough. After some debate, both sides have signed this new $100 million agreement. To see this deal bear fruit, all they’ll need is a judge’s approval.
This payout will go to 2000+ employees and contractors who faced gendered discrimination at Riot Games. This figure has its own scheme for distribution, too. Larger portions of the payout will go to those who’ve worked at Riot longer. On top of this, Riot must create several measures to prevent gendered or sexual harassment from happening in the future.
“This historic agreement reflects California’s commitment to strategic and effective government enforcement of the State’s robust equal-pay, anti-discrimination, and antiharassment laws,” said a major figurehead on the state of California’s side. In addition, they hope that this settlement will “send the message that all industries in California, including the gaming industry, must provide equal pay and workplaces free from discrimination and harassment.”
Riot Games had their own response, shown through an internal email. Riot was saddened to see that workers had to learn about this through news outlets rather than from Riot themselves, but was pleased that the process was moving smoothly. “We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot,” the company said.