LoL Studio Riot Games pays over 100 million US dollars to 1,548 women, also introduces a new CEO

At Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends and Valorant, there is a lot going on. Shortly after new details of a lawsuit from 2018 emerged, the CEO announced his resignation.

What’s the story with the money? The payments are said to mark the end of a class action lawsuit regarding gender discrimination that began in 2018. In 2021, the lawsuit was settled, and new details have now come to light through a court filing submitted by Rust Consulting in April (via Axios).

What was the lawsuit about? We at MeinMMO already reported on the lawsuit in 2018. At that time, a former and a current employee sued the studio behind League of Legends and Valorant. They accused Riot Games of paying women less and promoting them less frequently than men.

There was also said to be a sort of macho culture at Riot Games: Among other things, managers allegedly maintained a list of women they found attractive.

In 2019, it was agreed to establish a fund of 10 million USD. This was to be distributed among all women who had worked at Riot Games in the previous 5 years. However, the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing raised objections to the deal.

In 2021, there was finally a “historic settlement” of 100 million USD between Riot Games and the plaintiffs, which was approved by a judge in 2022 (via Axios).

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Some women are to receive more than 150,000 $

What’s new? Now the terms of the settlement have been revealed. The details come from a filing submitted by Rust Consulting, which has been managing the process, in April.

Initial payments for women who worked for the company range from 2,500 to 5,000 USD. Depending on employment status and duration of employment, additional payments of up to 156,056 $ may also be possible.
This applies to all who had not opted out of the settlement. According to Rust’s filing, 7 women opted out of the settlement.

Has anything changed at Riot? The studio commissioned its own investigation at the time, which concluded that “gender discrimination (in pay or promotion), sexual harassment, and retaliation are not systemic problems at Riot” (via PC Gamer).

Since the lawsuit, Riot Games has taken various measures, including hiring a Chief Diversity Officer, internal reporting, and plans for its workplace culture, and publishes annual diversity and inclusion reports.

However, there was a setback in 2019 when another lawsuit was filed against Riot and CEO Nicolo Laurent. The former employee Sharon O’Donell, who had worked as an executive assistant for Laurent, accused him of inappropriate and sexually suggestive behavior.

Another internal investigation concluded at the time that there was no evidence of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation against Sharon O’Donnell. It is unclear whether the lawsuit is ongoing or has been settled.

However, shortly after the details of the class action lawsuit emerged, Riot has now announced that Laurent will resign from his position as CEO.

CEO resigns – for wife and family

What’s the story with the resignation? In a letter to employees, Laurent states that the decision has been planned for some time and gives personal reasons for his resignation:

I can imagine that this news comes suddenly, but honestly, it’s a decision that has been on my mind for some time. [My time at Riot is] a story I am very proud of, but to be honest, it has also been exhausting.

Not the grind, the hours, the stress … I have a tank build, so I can handle that part.

It’s actually the personal compromises that have been hard, and the sacrifices my wife and children have made for my career, including all our relocations.
Nicolo Laurent via Riot Games

Now, Laurent says, the family wants to move back to France. He does not intend to join another company but will continue to work in an advisory capacity for Riot.

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