Update: A spokesperson for Riot Games confirmed that 33 employees have been fired. Of that number, 28 were active League of Legends developers and five came from Riot's publishing division.
Original story: Developer Riot Games is shedding staff, its co-founder said Marc Merill.
“Some” roles were cut within the League of Legends squad. He explained that the reductions are part of a long-term goal and “we make sure we have the right expertise in this regard Alloy continues to be great for another 15 years and beyond.”
“It's not about reducing headcount to save money,” he added. “We're not slowing down work on the game you love. We're investing heavily to solve today's challenges faster, while building for the future.”
Affected Riot staff will be given a six-month severance package (minimum) and an annual bonus, along with healthcare coverage and job placement assistance.
Merrill's statement echoes that of Hi-Rez's CEO Stewart Chisam. At the beginning of October, the Hit studio conducted its own layoffs, with Chisam saying at the time that these cuts would help it “guarantee” the long-term success of Punish 2.
New to Riot Games this year
In early 2024, Riot quit 530 employeesclaiming to have made big bets in recent years that haven't paid off. His publishing label Riot Forge and the Legends of Runeterra As a result, the team was badly affected.
Despite these new reductions, Merrill rationed the League of Legends the team will “eventually be even bigger than it is today” as Riot prepares for the “next phase” of the MOBA. The original game turns 15 in November.
At the moment, Riot is current Alloy plans include the upcoming second (and final) season of Arcane on Netflix and an MMO for the franchise announced in 2020.
Last March, Merill revealed that development on the project had been “reset,” saying that it felt too similar to the main film at the time League of Legends game. The study aims to make it look like a “significant evolution of the genre.”
With new stewards for the unnamed MMO in place, Riot indicated that it would not be talking about the title for the next few years.