Video game developer Archives

California, United States – Riot Games, an American video game company, has announced they will cut off 11% of their staff around the world as they make critical adjustments for the future of the company.

In a company announcement, CEO of Riot Games Dylan Jadeja and co-founder and chief product officer Marc Merrill stated that they will be eliminating around 530 roles globally to refocus on fewer, high-impact projects that will sustain them moving forward while cutting investments on those projects that do not make any more impact.

Employees outside the Riot’s core development teams are among those who will be affected most by the massive layoffs.

Riot also disclosed the email sent to their employees worldwide. In the email, Dylan apologised to the employees and took accountability for the sudden changes that the company is undergoing at the moment.

“Over the past several months, we’ve tried to alter our trajectory in many different ways. We asked leaders to make tradeoffs in the things their teams are working on. We rolled out hiring slowdowns and, in some cases, hiring freezes. We put an emphasis on controlling costs while strengthening our revenue growth. All of which has without a doubt been tough for our teams,” wrote Dylan in the email.

The email also included the fees and other support that Riot will offer to those whose roles are included in the layoffs.

However, aside from cutting staff, Riot Games also announced they would make changes to the games they’ve been developing so far.

The company will be placing their commitment on their core live games, which are League of Legends, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift. Therefore, prioritise teams that can focus on the content, features, and updates that directly respond to these games.

However, Riot also decided to end the development of Riot Forge to refocus their efforts on the ambitious projects underway internally at the company.

They will also reduce the team designated for the development of their Legends of Runeterra game and instead shift their focus to The Path of Champions. The company deems this necessary as LoR has faced financial challenges since launch and the revenue it generates does not cover the cost of its development.

According to Dylan and Marc, “Our strategy moving forward is clear: we’re honing in on what we do best and what resonates most with you. Every endeavour, from development to storytelling to competition, will be crafted to deliver meaningful, memorable experiences with games at the centre.”

They added, “While change can bring uncertainty, it also presents opportunities for growth and innovation. We’re grateful for your ongoing support; nothing Riot has ever created would be possible without you. Your passion and engagement inspire us every day, and we’re excited to continue this journey together.”

The massive layoffs at Riot Games follow the line of widespread retrenchments in large companies and corporations in 2024. Alibaba Group’s Lazada also opened the year with sudden staff reductions in its offices in Southeast Asia, followed by multinational consumer goods company Unilever, which also announced a slew of layoffs in its Singapore office.

Los Angeles, California — Prolific video game developer Riot Games has announced its expansion into several countries in the Asia Pacific (APAC) as part of its business reorganization in the region.

With a focus on hyper-localisation and fresh plans to extend its publishing reach to Japan and India, Riot Games will also open new publishing offices in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Riot had previously run the SEA business out of its Singapore hub office and also had an office in Japan.

Riot has also brought in Alex Kraynov, its previous managing director of emerging markets for Southeast Asia, India, Latin America, Brazil, Middle East, North Africa, and Japan, as the new managing director for APAC to lead publishing.

The reorganization will also see a diversification of Riot’s operating model with publishing at the forefront, alongside its other business pillars of games, entertainment, esports and enterprise.

In this effort to strengthen their presence APAC, Riot has made the following regional appointments namely Shinji Komiyama as director of country management for APAC, Jennifer Poulson as head of publishing partnerships for APAC, Alasdair Gray as head of marketing for APAC, and Derek Winder as head of business development for APAC. Riot also made some appoint for its local division namely Yasushi Fujimoto as country manager of Japan, Joel Guzman as country manager of the Philippines, and Resha Pradipta as country manager of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Since re-establishing its Singapore HQ for Southeast Asia in 2018, Riot has significantly grown its workforce and is now doubling down on publishing in the region. This organizational expansion translates into the establishment of local offices and hiring country managers in key markets such as the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, joining publishing forces with Riot’s Japan office, and enhancing its publishing hub in Singapore to over 80 people across the region. Key departments within APAC Publishing include country operations, publishing partnerships, brand marketing, growth marketing and services, business development, and regional tech.

Alex Kraynov, managing director of Riot Games Asia Pacific, commented that this is a natural step in progression for Riot’s publishing business in Southeast Asia, and they recognized that APAC has the potential to become the biggest region in the world for the company. Kraynov continued by saying that APAC is intricately diverse, with massive gaming communities that have diverse needs and a strong appetite for mobile gaming.

“In the past few years, our offices in Singapore and Japan have worked hard to release several new games and have nurtured new esports leagues to excite and delight players. Working towards more physical presence in our key APAC markets, we’re extremely excited to double down on these efforts to continue striving towards being the most player-focused gaming company in the world,” Kraynov said.

Beyond the gaming space, Riot has also released projects and campaigns in animation adaptation, music, and fashion. More recently, Riot also collaborated with Filipino urban streetwear brand Team Manila on an exclusive capsule collection to celebrate the launch of Neon, the first Filipino agent in its tactical shooter VALORANT.

With the goal of being the most player-focused game company in the world, Riot has in the last couple of years launched new titles including its recent shooter hit VALORANT. Riot’s games within the League of Legends universe have garnered over 600 million players globally in the past decade.