League of Legends and Valorant creator Riot Games will pay $100 million in a settlement dispute over a gender discrimination lawsuit from 2018.
Riot Games is paying a lawsuit from several private plaintiffs, together with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). The payout amounts to as much as $80 million, with $20 million in fees and other expenses.
Women complained about the company’s “bro culture”
Back in 2018, a lawsuit was filed following an expose from Kotaku, exposing a sexist and toxic workplace that was prevalent in Riot at the time. Kotaku spoke to as many as 28 employees at the time, noting the toxic “bro culture” they had.
The same report cited the company “in some instances, rewards behavior that disadvantages women”. Some of the plaintiffs, many of which were women, noted that they received added workloads without additional pay or promotion.
Now, Riot will be paying as much as $100 million, with a final approval of settlement pending from the court. A hearing will come in a few months to finalize all details.
“Three years ago, Riot was at the heart of what became a reckoning in our industry,” said a Riot spokesperson. “We had to face the fact that despite our best intentions, we hadn’t always lived up to our values. As a company we stood at a crossroads; we could deny the shortcomings of our culture, or we could apologize, correct course, and build a better Riot. We chose the latter.”
Riot lawsuit not the first time
As Riot Games is looking to pay the lawsuit, they’re also detailing that they’re apologizing for everything that happened. They further underscore the changes they did, as well as the inclusivity available to their employees.
Riot Games settles lawsuit, will pay every female employee since 2014 with $10 million fund: https://t.co/gCgqb289DZ pic.twitter.com/7MCdtBiNRr
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) December 2, 2019
“We’re incredibly grateful to every Rioter who has worked to create a culture where inclusivity is the norm, where we’re deeply committed to fairness and equality, and where embracing diversity fuels creativity and innovation,” added the Riot spokesperson.
“While we’re proud of how far we’ve come since 2018, we must also take responsibility for the past. We hope that this settlement properly acknowledges those who had negative experiences at Riot and demonstrates our desire to lead by example in bringing more accountability and equality to the games industry.”
This is not the first time that Riot Games is paying off settlements for lawsuits. In 2019, Riot wanted to settle for at least $10 million, but the DFEH stepped in to get a fairer settlement for the victims.
Featured image courtesy of Riot Games/YouTube Screenshot