Seemingly overnight, Riot has decided to part ways with around 11% of their work force. What does that mean for our favourite Riot Games moving forward?
Riot has eliminated company roles for 530 people, or around 11% of its workforce. They has released two different articles addressing their workforce and their player base. Addressing their employees, Riot's CEO Dylan Jadeja revealed that every Rioter got an email if their role was impacted. Those who have been impacted will get an invitation to have a talk with their Senior Leader and People Team Leader to discuss the next steps. Rioters that will be let go have access to a lot of benefits.
These include:
- 6 Months Severance Pay
- Cash Bonus
- Health Benefits
- Play Fund, Wellness Fund, etc.
- Equity
- A Laptop
- Career Support
- Rioter Assistance Program
- Visa Support
- continued Riot Email Access
Riot Games has stated that they have spread themselves too thin on too many Projects and as such the company has been bleeding money. They are now trying to refocus on the important projects such as the core live games and future projects like the fighting game “Project L” and the Riot Games MMO.
What Does That Mean For The Players?
If you play Valorant, League of Legends, TFT or Wild Rift, not a lot should change. Riot Forge and Legends of Runeterra didn't generate as much profit as Riot would have wanted. That means that Riot Games is sadly sunsetting the Riot Forge Program, meaning that after Bandle Tale, no more Riot Forge Titles will ever be developed.
Legends of Runeterra will switch its focus to the PvE Path of Champions game mode, since that is what most active players still engage with. It will move more towards sustainability and less towards innovation. There will still be changes and new additions, but the team has been cut down drastically to focus on new key points.
Riot has also stated that they are committing harder to their core live games. They are prioritizing League of Legends, Valorant, TFT and Wild Rift so we can expect some more events, modes and long-term roadmaps for the multi-decade long future of these games.
But even those core games have experienced some layoffs. Especially the League of Legends department and its fans will be sad to see who will be leaving the company.
Riot has laid of incredibly talented artists as well as prominent Riot Community Members such as Riot KingCobra, who was a Game Producer on Champions Team. They have also parted ways with Graham McNeil, who is responsible for some of the best lore the game has. He wrote a lot about Shurima and the Lore about Icathia, and it's safe to say that lore from now on will be significantly worse than before.
TFT will be losing Chad Smeltz who was the Esports Product Lead for the Game. It will be interesting to see who will be next in that position, as TFT esports is actually quite big. There are many more layoffs, and the Redditor u/CityofCyn_ has made a mega post to track who would be leaving the company. If you want to check to see if your favourite Rioter was affected, you can either have a look here or check their social media.
Unfortunately, layoffs are nothing out of the ordinary in the scene. 2023-2024 has been rough for the companies. Some Rioters have taken the news to social media and while most of them were thankful and grateful for the opportunities, there were some that had a bit more to say about the company. For example, Elias Inaty who has been responsible for the LCS esports show “The Dive”.
I got hit. I'm very thankful for all the great Rioters I've worked with and that have given me great opportunities
— Elias LOOKING FOR WORK Inaty (@EliasTries) January 22, 2024
But this job and company were fucking killing me tbh so fuck it.
I'm gonna be angry today. I'll be nicer tomorrow https://t.co/K2mx32VU3T
We wish best of luck to all the Rioters impacted. Your Talent is what made the Game what it is, and we are extremely grateful for your hard work over the years.