Pierre T.
RIOT GAMES ANNOUNCES NEW CEO, NICOLÓ LAURENT STEPS DOWN
Riot Games, the creator of the popular online game “League of Legends,” has announced that current global president Dylan Jadeja will succeed CEO Nicoló Laurent, who will be stepping down to focus more on his family after six years in the position. The official announcement was made in a statement issued by Riot Games. Laurent has been with the company since it was a small start-up in 2009 and began his tenure as CEO in 2017.
Jadeja has been with Riot Games since 2011, first as Chief Financial Officer and then as global president since 2017. The CEO transition is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
A DIFFICULT LEGACY
Under Laurent’s leadership, Riot Games has faced accusations of fostering a sexist “bro culture,” which was detailed in a 2018 exposé by gaming website Kotaku. Several female employees reported being sexually harassed and groomed for promotions, and one male senior leader was described as regularly grabbing his genitals and farting on employees’ faces during meetings. Riot Games was later accused (and cleared) of sexual misconduct against Laurent’s former executive assistant.
A report published by Wired in 2021 claims that Laurent protected some of the most problematic employees holding leadership roles at the company during this time. These allegations led to an eventual $100 million settlement paid by Riot Games to settle a lawsuit in which eight female former company employees accused the company of gender discrimination.
LOOKING FORWARD
Laurent, in an open letter, said that he plans to remain at Riot Games in an advisory role “for years to come” and that details about the handover process to Jadeja will be shared in the coming weeks. Jadeja, in his own open letter, emphasized the need for transparency and collaboration in his leadership and stated that the goal for Riot Games remains to be “the most trusted and authentic game company in the world…built by players, for players.”
Riot Games has stated that its search for Laurent’s successor was an extensive one that looked both inside and outside the company for the very best person for the role. With this handover, the company hopes to move past the controversies of the past and continue its growth and success in the highly competitive online gaming industry.
