The maker of popular video game League of Legends has agreed to pay $10 million to female employees to settle a broad gender discrimination case.
Los Angeles-based Riot Games will pay about 1,000 current and former female employees who have worked at the company in the last five years.
“The settlement amount … brings the company one step closer to ending a difficult period in its history,” reported VentureBeat. “Riot is the Los Angeles company that makes League of Legends, one of the most popular PC games in the world, and it’s branched out recently with the auto-battler Teamfight Tactics and a slew of new projects. It has tens of millions of players, making it a juggernaut in the industry.”
The case against Riot Games claimed the company paid women less than men, passed them over for promotions and fostered a “bro culture” that excluded them.
The lawsuit claims that culture led to sexual harassment and misconduct. Allegations of misconduct against women have plagued the video game industry for years.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Ryan Saba, said the large settlement amount shows that Riot was serious about changing its culture.
A Riot spokesman, Joe Hixson, said the company was pleased to have a settlement that resolved the lawsuit, calling it an important step that demonstrates Riot’s commitment to creating an “inclusive environment for the industry’s best talent.”
“We’re pleased to have a proposed settlement to fully resolve the class action lawsuit,” Riot added in a statement. “The settlement is another important step forward, and demonstrates our commitment to living up to our values and to making Riot an inclusive environment for the industry’s best talent.”
The court is expected to confirm the settlement this week.
