FILE - Competitors play in a "League of Legends" championship series video game competition at the Penny Arcade Expo, a fan-centric celebration of gaming, in Seattle on Aug. 29, 2014. Riot Games, the developer of the popular 鈥淟eague of Legends鈥 multiplayer game is joining other tech companies that have been trimming their payrolls with a layoff of 11% of its staff, announced Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
FILE - Competitors play in a "League of Legends" championship series video game competition at the Penny Arcade Expo, a fan-centric celebration of gaming, in Seattle on Aug. 29, 2014. Riot Games, the developer of the popular 鈥淟eague of Legends鈥 multiplayer game is joining other tech companies that have been trimming their payrolls with a layoff of 11% of its staff, announced Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
BANGKOK (AP) 鈥 Riot Games, the developer of the popular 鈥淟eague of Legends鈥 multiplayer battle game, is joining other tech companies that have been trimming their payrolls with a layoff of 11% of its staff.
In a lengthy statement to staff issued late Monday, CEO Dylan Jadeja and chief product officer and co-founder of Riot Games Marc Merrill said the move was meant to 鈥渃reate focus and move us toward a sustainable future.鈥 It said 530 jobs were being eliminated, accounting for about 11% of the headcount at the company, which is owned by the Chinese technology giant Tencent.
A note to customers said, 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 to appease shareholders or to hit a quarterly earnings number鈥攊t鈥檚 a necessity.鈥
The Los Angeles, California-based company said it had expanded its investments across too many areas, doubling its staff in a few years, and now was cutting back to focus on games.
鈥淭oday we鈥檙e a company without a sharp enough focus, and simply put, we have too many things underway. Some of the investments we鈥檝e made aren鈥檛 paying off the way we expected them to,鈥 the statement said.
鈥淭o all the Rioters who are being laid off, we are deeply sorry that it has come to this,鈥 it said.
Riot Games said it will pay staff who are laid off six months of salary at a minimum, cash bonuses and other benefits.
It said it would offer access to job placement services, counseling and visa support for staff who were working with visas. Those laid off can also request use of a laptop if needed, the company said.
Job cuts have been taking a toll on workers across various industries 鈥 including retail, tech, media and hospitality 鈥 over the last few years. In recent months, layoffs have been announced at , , , and more.
Many have been in the tech sector, which hired heavily during the pandemic, when people whiled away time stuck at home playing games online.
Riot Games sponsors the League of Legends World Championship and the company said it remained committed to esports and entertainment in support of its games.
The company said it would make changes to its Legends of Runeterra to 鈥渕ove it to sustainability鈥 and reduce the staff working on that team, shifting its focus to its 鈥淧ath of Champions." 鈥淩iot Forge鈥 will be discontinued after the upcoming release of 鈥淏andle Tale,鈥 it said.
