The studio behind League of Legends, Riot Games, is being sued by two women. A former and a current employee accuse the LoL studio of discriminating against women.
This is what the lawsuit is about: The two plaintiffs claim that they were denied equal pay to men. Additionally, their careers have been hindered by being women.
The working conditions at the studio behind League of Legends have been negatively impacted by a misogynistic culture at Riot Games characterized by sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, and biases against women.
The two plaintiffs want: They demand compensation for unpaid wages, damages, and other penalties. The amount will be determined in court.
The women further state that they want to stop Riot’s business practices:
- Paying men more than women for the same job
- Promoting men over women
500 times “Dick” in a month
This is what allegedly happened to Jessica Negron:
One of the plaintiffs is Jessica Negron. She claims that when she started at Riot, her manager quit, and she took over their duties but did not receive higher pay or the title of manager. Instead, three men were hired and given the job without considering Negron.
But she was offered to perform the duties of the supervisory job again after the third man left. Negron still would not have been promoted.
Negron reports that in one month she heard the word “Dick” 500 times at Riot Games. Negron is no longer with Riot Games.
Bosses in a nightclub in Shanghai
This is what allegedly happened to Melanie McCracken: The second plaintiff is Melanie McCracken, who has been working at the LoL studio since 2013.
She believes that she was denied promotions and fair pay. Moreover, she was punished by male supervisors.
She had issues with her direct supervisor after he said that no women should be hired for open higher positions. Additionally, he found it odd to have a man as an assistant.
When she asked him for a higher position, he rejected it.
After McCracken complained to HR about her supervisor, information was leaked to him from there.
McCracken then took a new job, but her supervisor was promoted to the same department. He then told her that she had 5 months to find a new position in the company, or she would be fired.
In her next position, she then worked for the leadership team of Riot Games and received a video showing two of the bosses with scantily clad women in a nightclub in Shanghai.
One of the bosses apparently got the impression that she had leaked the video. This further harmed her career.
Riot Games in the news with sex culture since 2018
Riot has been in the spotlight since August: In August 2018, a report about the work environment at Riot Games appeared on the site Kotaku. It reported a so-called “Bro culture” where sexual innuendos and a rough manner were the order of the day.
They reportedly preferred to hire “aggressive men” who fit the image of the “Core Gamer” over female applicants. These aggressive men were then further promoted. Those who complained about sexism harmed their careers.
This report prompted former employees of Riot Games to come forward and share their stories about the studio behind League of Legends.
This is Riot’s response: Following the Kotaku report, Riot announced plans to work on its work culture and aims to become “more diverse”. A workshop at a gaming fair aimed specifically at women led to conflict with angry male fans who felt excluded.
This ultimately led to the firing of employees who opposed these upset fans.
Additionally, Riot Games has hired a diversity expert for corporate culture.
This is Riot’s statement regarding the lawsuit: Regarding the lawsuit, they state that they do not comment on ongoing legal disputes. However, they take it very seriously and will investigate it thoroughly.
Riot Games remains committed to pursuing a profound and comprehensive evolution of corporate culture to make Riot a place where all Rioters can thrive.
