Sunday, 12 Jan 2025

Riot Games' female staff to share $10m after harassment claims

Revelations of an allegedly toxic, male-dominated culture at Riot Games have seen the group agree to a $10m (€9m) payout that will be shared by former and current female employees in the US.

The allegations against Riot Games made in a lawsuit filed in California last year included that female staff had been subjected to sexual harassment and had been passed over for roles filled by male executives.

One former Riot Games employee, who moved from the United States in 2014 to take a job at its Dublin office, claimed some male staff there used sexist, homophobic and racist language in a report published on a US website last year.

Other female Riot Games employees went public with claims that sexism and harass- ment were commonplace.

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Riot Games, whose titles include ‘League of Legends’, has previously insisted the issues are not systemic.

“After extensively reviewing these issues, we can confidently state that gender discrimination (in pay or promotion), sexual harassment, and retaliation are not systemic issues at Riot,” it said in August when it confirmed that it had reached an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit filed against it in California by female employees.

Details of the settlement have just been made public in court filings in Los Angeles. It must still be approved by a Los Angeles court.

About 1,000 former and current female staff who worked for the company between November 2014 and the date of the settlement will receive a slice of the $10m.

Their payments will vary depending on their length of service with the company and whether they were staff members or contractors. It applies only to female workers who were based with the company in California, it is understood.

The class action lawsuit had alleged that male employees would compile and circulate lists of female employees they would sleep with; that male employees told jokes and circulated emails that would demean women’s intellect; and that women were “blatantly” mocked. There were a number of other allegations of such behaviour.

Riot Games has said it is pleased to have reached the settlement, and it demonstrates a commitment to creating an inclusive environment.

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