Riot Games Announces Layoffs and Sunset of Riot Forge Publishing Group

Riot Games, the Tencent-owned developer behind League of Legends, has revealed plans to lay off approximately 530 employees, amounting to 11% of its workforce. 

Additionally, the company is discontinuing its Riot Forge publishing group, marking a significant shift in its organizational structure.

CEO Addresses Affected Employees and Players:

Riot Games communicated the changes through two posts—one addressing the impacted employees and another directed at its player community. 

CEO Dylan Jadeja regretted the situation, emphasizing the company’s commitment to supporting affected employees with a severance package, counseling, job placement services, and other benefits.

Necessary Organizational Changes:

In the post to players, Jadeja acknowledged that while the layoffs were unavoidable, they were deemed necessary. 

He reassured players that these decisions were not driven solely by financial considerations but were essential for the company’s sustainability and long-term success.

Impact on Riot Forge and Legends of Runeterra:

Riot Forge, Riot Games’ publishing arm launched in 2019, will be shut down. It partnered with independent developers to create new stories within the League of Legends universe and released five games. 

Riot Forge’s closure comes after the release of its sixth game, “Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story.”

Legends of Runeterra, Riot Games’ digital collectible card game, will continue operating but with a reduced team size. 

The focus will shift towards enhancing the single-player adventure mode, learned as the “Path of Champions.” The game’s performance has not met the company’s expectations.

Industry Trend of Job Cuts:

Riot Games joins other major video game publishers, such as Epic Games, Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Activision Blizzard, in making significant job cuts. 

The industry-wide trend has seen various companies realigning their resources and priorities.