The CEO of Riot Games (League of Legends), Nicolo Laurent, had a brilliant career behind him, which took a turn in 2021. A fired assistant accused him of sexual harassment. She claimed she was wrongfully terminated in 2020. The assistant sued the LoL company Riot Games. Laurent stepped down in May 2023 to focus on his family. Now an arbitration court has ruled: The allegations against Nicolo Laurent are unfounded.
These were the allegations: In January 2021, the former executive assistant, Sharon O’Donnell, made accusations against Riot Games:
- She was wrongfully terminated
- She had to work many unpaid overtime hours
- The CEO Nicolo Laurent allegedly made sexual advances towards her, made sexist remarks, and made inappropriate offers for private travel
The lawsuit came at a time when Riot Games was heavily criticized
How did the assistant accuse him? We reported on MeinMMO in February 2021 about O’Donnell’s allegations:
- The CEO invited her over when his wife was away, allegedly using the term “cum”
- He allegedly told her that his wife was jealous of beautiful women
- He allegedly told her to be more “feminine”
- He allegedly advised female employees to have a child to cope better with the stress of the Covid pandemic
What did the assistant demand? O’Donnell sued Riot Games for lost wages, medical expenses, and damages. She alleged that she was fired after she complained to the HR department.
Riot Games struggled with a culture of sexism
Why was the situation so difficult for Riot at the time? In August 2018, a report from Kotaku was published, accusing Riot Games of fostering a sexist culture. It was described as operating like a fraternity (via kotaku).
The report apparently found fertile ground: there were open letters, strikes, further lawsuits, and investigations.
Riot Games responded by offering seminars exclusively for women and hiring a Harvard professor to change the corporate culture.
Riot Games experienced a tumultuous year following the revelations. In December 2019, they paid out $10 million to 1,000 women, who had worked at Riot Games. Immediately after that, O’Donnell’s complaint was filed.
Riot Games stood by their CEO back then
How did Riot Games behave? Riot Games stated in an initial statement: O’Donnell’s termination was 7 months ago. Several people had complained about her. All claims that it was otherwise are simply false (via dotesports).
Riot Games shared the findings of a committee in March 2021 that had investigated the allegations against the CEO. Riot had commissioned an external law firm to conduct the investigation.
The committee concluded that there was no evidence that Laurent had done anything wrong and that nothing should be taken against him.
However, even though the internal investigation was completed in March 2021, it would take years for the official external investigation to conclude.
CEO steps down to focus on family
What was the consequence for the CEO? In May 2023, Nicolo Laurent stepped down as CEO to focus on his family.
He stated that the decision came because he wanted to spend more time with his 4 children and move back to France.
Being the head of such a large company was weighing heavily on him.
At the time, it seemed that the decision had nothing to do with the lawsuit against him, but in a new statement, Riot Games hinted at how much the lawsuit had affected the CEO and his family.
This is the current status: Riot Games now states (via riot) that an arbitration court has ruled in the case of Sharon O’Donnell against Riot Games. All accusations against Riot Games and Nicolo Laurent are unfounded.
Riot Games emphasizes that their company has no place for harassment and discrimination. They support employees who speak out if they have experienced or witnessed misconduct.
However, they will not tolerate malicious allegations against the company or its employees, but will assertively pursue them – even if it means years of litigation.
The legal dispute has harmed Riot Games and its teams, and it has also caused much pain for Nicolo’s family. Nicolo is now considering his next steps, possibly including legal actions. Riot Games will support him in this.
Riot Games states: They are deeply grateful that the facts have ultimately prevailed.
What’s behind this: This is a complex story that shows how important differentiation is and that each individual case must be examined closely. While there has undoubtedly been misconduct at Riot Games on a systemic level and it was urgently necessary for a cultural change to occur there.
In the case of Nicolo Laurent, it seems that he was so blameless that Riot Games has fully supported him from the start and that this trust has proven justified years later. Not only has Riot Games faced allegations of sexism in recent years: “Cocaine in the bathroom, sex in the lounge” – scandal around WoW developer Blizzard escalates
