Riot Games broke its silence as it posted an extensive apology on their website detailing on how they will move forward after toxic workplace allegations.
It can be brought to mind that the League of Legends developer received major backfire after Kotaku released a report recounting how Riot cofounders and executives adopted a sexist workplace environment that kept women from leadership roles. The apology comes after erstwhile employee and software developer Barry Hawkins posted a personal blog post, explaining why he left the company.
"To Rioters, contractors, former Rioters, and past contractors: We're sorry. We're sorry that Riot hasn't always been — or wasn't — the place we promised you. And we're sorry it took so long for us to hear you. In the days, weeks, months, years to come, we're going to make Riot a place we can all be proud of," Riot Games said in a statement.
Riot Games added that its team have set up a hotline where anyone can anonymously submit complaints. The game developer added that they have brought in a team from an outside law firm to analyze Riot policies. At present, Riot has more than 2,500 employees in 24 offices worldwide, including huge financial coffers of China's Tencent, which acquired the company three years ago.
First Steps Forward For Riot Games
Apart from bringing an outside law firm, Riot Games will likewise be reevaluating words such as "gamer" and "meritocracy" to ensure that the words won't be misused. In addition, Riot Games will also look forward to polishing its hiring process by expanding the pools of their prospective candidates.
"No one and nothing is sacred. We are prepared to make big changes and have begun taking action against specific cases, including removal of Rioters, though we aren't likely to get into those details publicly on a case-by-case basis for legal and privacy reasons," Riot Games wrote.
Riot Games also mentioned that it will also conduct interview training and anti-harassment training not only to managers but also for all its employees. Additionally, the League of Legends developer will be expanding its culture and D&I initiative with the assistance of its new team who are tasked to spearhead the company's cultural evolution.
League of Legends, which is a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game, is among the most recognized video games in the past decade. It has generated more than $2 billion in the past year. Aside from League of Legends, Riot Games also owns and manages a plethora of global e-sports competitions.
