Game studio to pay $100m in gender discrimination lawsuit

Riot Games, the studio behind ‘League of Legends’ and ‘Valorant’, has reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit that had accused the company of gender-based discrimination.

The studio is set to pay a total of $80 million to all current and former female employees, as well as temporary agency contractors in California who have worked at the firm from November 2014 to the present day. Another $20 million will be paid in attorney’s fees and miscellaneous expenses.

Additionally, Riot Games will also be required to have a third-party company, approved by both Riot and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, monitor its internal reporting system and pay equity process over the course of the next three years.

The initial lawsuit was filed in 2018 after a report by Kotaku exposed the toxicity that had developed within the game studio, which saw many women suffer gender-based discrimination. 

The report suggested that there was a rampant ‘bro culture’ within Riot Games, which is staffed by 80% male employees. Female workers were allegedly discriminated against, harassed, and denied promotions and equal pay even though they were carrying out the same duties as their male colleagues. 

Additionally, both male and female sources told Kotaku they had received unsolicited pictures of male genitalia from both their colleagues and their bosses, and one woman said she had seen an email thread about what it would be like to “penetrate her.” Several employees reportedly complained to HR about the discrimination, but it was alleged that no changes were made and the victims had instead been pressured to leave the company. 

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Jessica Negron, claimed that, when one of her managers quit, she took on her responsibilities but saw no change in pay or job title. When she requested that the change be made official, three men were reportedly hired into the role one after another while she was not even given an interview. After the third supervisor left, she was once again asked to take on the responsibilities, but was still not offered additional compensation or a job title change.

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Since the initial Kotaku report, Riot Games has been vocal about changing its ways and has apologized to the gaming community for its shortcomings.

“Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry,” a spokesperson said. “We had to face the fact that, despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a company, we stood at a crossroads: we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter.”

“While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot and demonstrates our desire to lead by example in bringing more accountability and equality to the games industry.”

While the final approval of the settlement is still pending and is expected to be finalized within the next few months, Genie Harrison, the attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case, has stated that she appreciates Riot’s attempts at correcting its mistakes.

“This is a great day for the women of Riot Games – and for women at all video game and tech companies – who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination,” said Harrison. “We appreciate Riot’s introspection and work since 2018 toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive company, its willingness to take responsibility for its past, and its commitment to continued fairness and equality in the future.”