Riot Games, the Chinese-owned Los Angeles-based game developer best known for League of Legends (pictured at top), has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a class-action gender-discrimination lawsuit.
What sparked the lawsuit: Following a 2018 Kotaku investigation that revealed a workplace rife with sexism and gender-based discrimination, two Riot workers – Melanie McCracken and Jes Negrón – filed suit against the company. The class-action eventually represented 1,065 current and former women employees, and 1,300 women contract workers.
The settlement terms: Riot reached the agreement with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and several private plaintiffs. Under the terms of the settlement, Riot will pay $80 million to the workers, with another $20 million set aside for attorney fees and “miscellaneous expenses.” Further, Riot has agreed to have its internal reporting and pay equity processes monitored by a third party for three years. The company will also create an $18 million cash reserve for making pay adjustments and funding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for three years. Final approval of the settlement is pending; a hearing is expected next year.