New Era at Riot Games: Focused on Impactful Projects
In a move that reflects the changing landscape of the gaming industry, Riot Games, the producer of the popular game League of Legends, has announced a reduction in workforce. The company has stated that it aims to concentrate on fewer but more impactful projects for a more sustainable future. This decision has resulted in the elimination of 530 positions, accounting for approximately 11% of the company’s employees worldwide.
The timing of this announcement came shortly after the release of a survey conducted by the Game Developers Conference (GDC), revealing that 56% of respondents in the gaming industry anticipated layoffs, primarily due to post-pandemic adjustments.
CEO Dylan Jadeja stated in a company-wide message, “Some of our significant investments did not yield the expected results.” He referred to the expansion of the League of Legends universe during the company’s 10th-anniversary celebration in 2019, which included new games and other forms of entertainment. Employees whose roles are affected or at risk will have meetings with appropriate management within the next 48 hours. Additionally, they will receive a minimum of six months severance pay, with additional benefits for longer-tenured employees.
Riot Games will now concentrate on creating “live flagship games” such as League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift, as well as focusing on esports and related events. The development of Project L, a game featuring characters from League of Legends, is said to be progressing excellently. The second season of the Arcane series for Netflix is also scheduled for release in November.
Other projects that have been affected by the changes include Legends of Runeterra, a free-to-play card game announced in 2019, which has not achieved the anticipated results. The team responsible for this game will be downsized and will focus on its PvE game mode. Riot Forge, an initiative to collaborate with smaller studios in creating titles related to League of Legends, will cease operations after the release of Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story.
Despite the impacts on employees, Dylan Jadeja emphasized that the layoffs were not driven by investor satisfaction but rather by the need to concentrate on what provides the most value to players. However, it cannot be denied that those directly affected will face challenges, and the overall atmosphere in the industry will be affected. In fact, according to Kotaku’s data, the gaming industry has already lost over 3,800 jobs in 2024 alone.
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