Riot Games controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2022
Riot outlines further measures against toxicity in Valorant
Company response
Riot Games updated its efforts to address toxic voice and chat behavior in Valorant. It said it would gradually increase penalties, adjust real-time text moderation, improve voice moderation tools, and introduce voice evaluation in North America for English later in the year, with global implementation conditional on the technology being ready.
Stated objective. make for a more pleasant player experience
Source excerpt
Despite these efforts, Riot admits "the frequency with which players encounter harassment in our game hasn't meaningfully gone down".
Riot Games has shared an update on its ongoing efforts to combat voice and chat toxicity in its free-to-play shooter Valorant, pledging that harsher, more immediate punishments for abusers - and its previously announced voice recording moderation system - are on the way.
As for the measures it'll be implementing in the shorter term, Riot says now it's "more confident" that its automatic detections systems are functioning correctly, it will gradually begin increasing the severity and escalation of its penalties, which should result in "quicker treatment of bad actors."
2022
Riot Games sues Imba Network over alleged game copying
Lawsuit filed
Riot Games filed a lawsuit against Vietnamese developer Imba Network, accusing it of copying likenesses, stories and lore from Teamfight Tactics for I Am Hero: AFK Tactical Teamfight. Imba Network denied copying Riot's game.
Source excerpt
The Vietnamese developer has denied copying Riot's game, yet in the lawsuit Riot published clear comparisons between the two titles.
Riot Games has filed a lawsuit against Vietnamese developer Imba Network for creating a "knock-off" of its League of Legends spin-off Teamfight Tactics.
The studio has accused Imba Network of stealing likenesses, stories, and lore for its game I Am Hero: AFK Tactical Teamfight,
2021
Riot Games commissions review of sexual harassment allegations against CEO
Company response
Riot Games said it hired an independent team to review sexual harassment allegations against CEO Nicolas Laurent. A California lawsuit accuses Laurent of retaliating against his assistant after she refused what she understood as an invitation for a sexual liaison.
Company response
Investigation — Riot Games
Riot Games said it had hired an independent team to review allegations of sexual harassment against its top executive
Source excerpt
Riot Games said it had hired an independent team to review allegations of sexual harassment against its top executive, in the latest episode highlighting a troubled workplace culture in the video game industry.
Riot chief executive Nicolas Laurent is accused in a California lawsuit of retaliating against his assistant, Sharon O’Donnell, after she refused what she took as an invitation for a sexual liaison.
2020
Riot Games faces backlash over NEOM LEC sponsorship
Public backlash
Riot Games faced public criticism after the LEC accepted NEOM as a sponsor. The article reports fan dissatisfaction on social media and criticism from esports industry figures, including LEC commentators.
Source excerpt
在社交媒体 Twitter 上，已经有许多粉丝对这笔交易表达了他们的不满。
今日，拳头公司（Riot Games）因《英雄联盟》LEC 职业联赛接受沙特阿拉伯西北部工商业新城（NEOM）赞助一事而遭到了猛烈的抨击。
Froskurinn 表示：“赞助商对于电子竞技的蓬勃发展至关重要，但我们并不需要以牺牲人类的生命和自由为代价”。
2019
Riot Games proposes $10 million gender-discrimination settlement
Settlement
A proposed settlement was filed in a class-action gender-discrimination lawsuit against Riot Games. The proposed payout is $10 million collectively to women employed by the company at any time over the preceding five years; the source describes the settlement as proposed, not final.
Source excerpt
Riot Games will pay out a huge $10 million proposed settlement collectively to every woman who has been employed by the company at any time over the last five years.
The suit, filed November, 2018, also describes how women at the League of Legends publisher were paid less than men in the same or a similar position.