Among the biggest topics of the last few years has been the treatment and discrimination of females in the games industry, with the conversations around Riot Games being one of the biggest stories among them. Followinga significant report byKotakulast yearthat exposed a culture of sexism and discrimination of female employees at Riot Games, a settlement has been reached in the long-standing class-action lawsuit related tothe accusations brought forth by current and former female employees of the studio.
Ina report from theLos Angeles Times,League of Legendsdeveloper Riot Games has reached a settlement of over $10 million in response to a class action lawsuit filed against the company last year for gender discrimination and sexual harassment. According to the terms of the settlement, Riot Games will entitle approximately 1,000 female employees (current and former) to a payment from a $10 million fund, depending on their employment status (whether they were full-time or contracted) and the length of their tenure with the studio.
In a statement to theLos Angeles Times, a Riot Games representative said that “we’re pleased to have a proposed settlement to fully resolve the class action lawsuit.” The representative also added that “the settlement is another important step forward, and demonstrates our commitment to living up to our values and to making Riot an inclusive environment for the industry’s best talent.”
Alongside the $10 million payment, Riot Games also added in its settlement that the studio would aim to address and improve its company culture, which would include “beefing up internal programs for reporting sexual harassment and discrimination,” “a review of all pay, promotion and hiring practices to increase fairness and transparency,” and “creating a number of employee groups empowered to track the company’s progress on these fronts,” according to theLos Angeles Times.
Given the scope and severity of the accusations that were brought forth by Riot employees over the years (with the accusations dating back to 2014), the settlement signifies a landmark development for the treatment of females working in the games industry. With the lengths that employees went to spark change at the company and improve its culture, such asa mass walkout in May of this year, the settlement provides some encouragement that larger cultural shifts can be achieved towards improving some of the games industry’s most notable issues.
