Riot Gamesthe company that develops League of Legends, announced i layoffs of 530 employeesthe. An important restructuring for the software house, which also involves the elimination of the publishing division Riot Forge and a shift in focus towards the development of Legends of Runeterra.
Riot Games announces 530 layoffs and cuts Riot Forge
In an open letter to all staff, CEO Dylan Jadeja (who took up the position in September 2023) announced the layoffs. She also explained the measures for support affected employees and discussed the broader implications for the company’s future.
“I’m sharing with you today a decision we hoped we would never have to make at Riot,” explains Jadeja. Which details: “This decision means that we are eliminating approx 530 roles globally, representing approximately 11% of our workforce, with the greatest impact on teams outside of core development. Unfortunately, this also means the departure of many talented colleagues and friends across all areas of Riot.”
Jadeja thinks the layoffs come because the company has diversified too much. “We immersed ourselves in creating new experiences, expanding our portfolio, growing rapidly as a multi-game, multi-experience company, changing our operating model, bringing in new talent to match our ambitions, and ultimately doubling the size of Riot in just a few years.”, has explained. Something that, for the CEO, is becoming unsustainable.
Riot Games will provide a six-month support package to laid-off employees, along with additional cash bonuses, including one based on the 2023 performance bonus. The company will also offer extra wages for healthcare and other initiatives, which you can find in the letter published here.
As part of the renovation, Riot Games it will also close its publishing division Riot Forgeinitially announced in December 2019. Also digital card game Legends of Runeterra will undergo changes. The team will be scaled down and development will focus on PvE mode Path of Champions.
In his post, Jadeja confirmed the commitment of Riot in “League PC, VALORANT, TFT, Wild Rift and in exploration in research and development”. Furthermore, Riot announced a stream RiotNow in February to discuss the company’s future plans: in all likelihood, we will have to wait for that event for further details.
