Riot Games: lay-offs at Valorant developer see 11% of global reduction — generous severance package softens the blow

We're not even a month into 2024, and we've already seen massive lay-offs from the likes of Amazon, Google, Twitch, Waymo, and YouTube, among others. Joining the long list of early 2024 tech lay-offs is Riot Games, announcing a reduction of 530 positions, or 11% of its global workforce. 

Along with the lay-off announcement, the video game maker known for League of Legends and Valorant also published the e-mail it sent to employees affected by the lay-off. In said e-mail, Riot CEO, Dylan Jadeja, detailed risks the company took and how it ended up in the situation that made the lay-offs necessary.

Alongside the information about how Riot ended up in this situation, however, the company also detailed a substantial severance package for affected employees. This severance package included, among others, severance pay of a minimum of six months of salary, and a cash bonus that matches last year's performance-based target bonus, and six months of career support. Riot Games is also letting employees keep their company-issued peripherals and request a laptop from the IT department if they don't already have one at home.

In addition to material assistance, Riot is offering support to foreign employees that are dependent on visas from Riot in order to remain in the country on a case-by-case basis.

In a separate release about how the company plans to move forward in 2024, Riot Games announced that it will be committed to its core game portfolio going forward, re-iterating the importance of games like Valorant and League of Legends.

Our vision for the future is bold and our commitment to our core live games – League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift – is more ambitious than ever. We're prioritizing these teams so they can focus on the content, features, and updates that directly respond to what you’ve been asking for. Expect events, modes, and long-term roadmaps that lead to vibrant (hopefully multi-decade) futures for these games. – Riot Games in a 2024 player update

Alongside reassurance to its existing player-base, Riot Games also announced that it will be introducing changes to Legends of Runeterra to focus on sustainability. Riot Games also announced that after releasing Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, it will stop developing and publishing games under its Riot Forge publishing subdivision.

The transparency and candour from Riot Games, specifically regarding employee severance and assistance, during this round of lay-offs has largely been seen as a welcome change in times when unexpected lay-offs can be cruel and cold.

Take your games on the go with a Lenovo Legion Go from Amazon or an Asus ROG Ally with AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme from Best Buy