Riot Games Reportedly Facing Employee Walkout After Trying to Block Lawsuits
By Max Mallow
League of Legends developer Riot Games is facing an employee walkout amid reports it will allegedly attempt to block lawsuits filed against the company, according to a report Thursday by Vice's Wavepoint.
The story comes in the wake of a Kotaku report that claimed the League of Legends developer tried to prevent legal action against the company following the publication's story on the company's alleged sexist culture last year.
Anonymous sources reportedly told Waypoint "'Talk of a walkout has been brewing among a number of folks with varying levels of investment since Kotaku's first article hit and leadership consistently promised transparency/actions to be taken and then did not deliver on that promise.'"
It was not known how many people planned to participate in the walkout or when it could potentially happen, according to the report. An internal message was acquired by Waypoint from Riot Games' chief diversity officer Angela Roseboro -- who was hired after the initial Kotaku report was released in August.
Roseboro's message reportedly reads:
"Hi Rioters, I’ve been off campus for most of yesterday afternoon in meetings and have spent my evening reviewing and absorbing everything you’ve shared. I feel it’s important to address your concerns this morning rather than wait until Monday.
I know yesterday’s article about Riot’s motion to compel arbitration feels like we’re not moving forward. And I have to say for me, it demonstrates we still have work to do. There are pros, cons, and nuances to the discussion of arbitration, especially given the active litigation against Riot. It can be complex so these types of topics are best discussed live where it’s easier to have a conversation. I encourage all of you to ask as many questions in this Thursday’s Unplugged, and our promise to you is we will be as transparent as we possibly can.
We’re also aware there may be an upcoming walkout and recognize some Rioters are not feeling heard. We want to open up a dialogue on Monday and invite Rioters to join us for small group sessions where we can talk through your concerns, and provide as much context as we can about where we’ve landed and why. If you’re interested, please take a moment to add your name to this spreadsheet. We’re planning to keep these sessions smaller so we can have a more candid dialogue.
We are committed to re-earning your trust by having an open and transparent dialogue, and doing the right thing by all of our Rioters. Personally I completely understand how this may feel like a setback, but my hope is that through this storm we will be a better version of ourselves. Hope to see you on Monday."
Riot Games quickly revealed plans in response to the initial August report, but the company appears to be facing even more internal conflict six months later.
Photo courtesy of Riot Games