Riot Games announces new CEO as it emerges the company will pay out over $100 million to 1,548 women to settle gender discrimination case

pcgamer.com:

Riot Games is to pay out over $100 million to 1,548 women who are or were employed by the gaming giant, as part of a previously announced settlement in a 2018 class action lawsuit about gender discrimination. The new details come from an April filing by Rust Consulting (thanks Axios(opens in new tab)) which outlines the nature of a late 2021 settlement, agreed to by Riot, under which Riot will make initial payments of between $2,500 and $5,000 to women who worked there, with an additional sum based on role and tenure that could rise up to $156,056. Seven women in the suit chose to opt-out of the settlement.

The payments mark an end to a class action lawsuit that began in 2018, was settled in 2021, and had that agreement approved by a court in July 2022. The suit alleged systemic sexism and gender-based discrimination at the studio(opens in new tab). Riot commissioned its own investigation(opens in new tab) of the claims prior to the settlement, and said at the time this showed «gender discrimination (in pay or promotion), sexual harassment, and retaliation are not systemic issues at Riot,» but also that «some Rioters have had experiences that did not live up to our values or culture.»

Since the suit happened, Riot has announced various initiatives including hiring a chief diversity officer, various internal reports and plans into its workplace culture, and has been releasing annual diversity and inclusion reports to show its progress. Last month it published the report for 2022, in which the company says women now account for 27.5% of its staff, and 25.9% of leadership staff (both figures mark an increase from 24% and 20% in 2020).

These efforts to clean up the company's act were not helped, however, by another suit