Riot Games lays off 11% of employees
Riot Games lays off 530 employees, 11% of the staff, with a focus on teams outside of core development. The company announced this in an official announcement.
“For most of our history, we’ve managed to avoid days like this, but this decision is critical for the future of Riot. This isn’t to appease shareholders or to hit a quarterly earnings number —it’s a necessity,” they wrote in the announcement.
From now on, the company will also put games at the center of all its activities. Riot will start devoting more resources to the teams responsible for the development of League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift.
“We’re prioritizing these teams so they can focus on the content, features, and updates that directly respond to what you’ve been asking for. Expect events, modes, and long-term roadmaps that lead to vibrant (hopefully multi-decade) futures for these games.”
Riot also wants to integrate other forms of entertainment, such as music or eSports, into its games. The company will pay more attention to quality control, impact, and the experience players get from them.
In addition, the subsidiary Riot Forge, which produced games in the League of Legends universe, is also being closed. At the same time, the team working on Legends of Runeterra is also being cut due to financial failures, but development continues, with a focus on PvE content.