Riot Games, the developer of popular titles such as League of Legends and Valorant, has announced that it is organizing its operations. Accordingly, hundreds of people will be laid off from the company’s offices around the world.
Riot Games laid off 530 people, games are being canceled
Riot Games is undergoing a major restructuring, announcing more than 530 layoffs globally. Announcing the details, CEO Dylan Jadeja said the company needed to refocus on its core business after diversifying too quickly.
CEO Jadeja noted that Riot has grown rapidly in recent years thanks to games such as Legends of Runeterra and Valorant, and has moved into new experiences. “We’ve had a number of major company-wide projects in the works to make being a gamer better, but they didn’t pan out the way we expected,” he said.
As part of the reorganization, Riot’s publishing arm Riot Forge will be shut down after the launch of The Bandle Tale. Legends of Runeterra’s development efforts will also be scaled back and the team will be reduced. Instead of funding other games, the focus will be on Path of Champions mode.
The layoffs of more than 530 people represent 11 percent of Riot Games’ global workforce. In this context, the company aims to reduce the “costs of investments that have not paid off”. It was stated that the laid-off employees will be offered six months of severance and bonuses.
On the other hand, the Riot CEO said that they will continue to work on games like League of Legends and Valoratn. However, the changes suggest that they will move away from diversification and refocus on core games.