Not For Shareholders, But A "Necessity": Riot Games Lays Off 11% Of Staff And Ends Indie Games Publishing Label

Riot Games bid farewell to 530 employees — 11% of staff — and the Riot Forge publishing label.

In the announcement, the company shared significant changes that it said is aimed at refocusing on fewer high-impact projects for a more sustainable future. The decision involves eliminating approximately 11% of global roles (around 530 positions) with a focus on areas outside of core development. Riot emphasizes that these adjustments are necessary to prioritize efforts on aspects that have the greatest impact on player experiences, redirecting resources from less impactful projects.

Going forward, the company is doubling down on its core live games: League of Legends, VALORANT, Teamfight Tactics, and Wild Rift. It plans to prioritize these games, providing players with more content, features, and updates that directly respond to player feedback. According to Riot, this strategy means a tighter integration of esports, music, and entertainment with the games so that there’s a more seamless blend of gameplay, competition, and narrative depth. Upcoming projects include the progress of Project L and the upcoming Arcane Season 2.

Also, these changes will have immediate impacts on Legends of Runeterra and Riot Forge. The company is reducing the team size for Legends of Runeterra and renewing focus on The Path of Champions, with intentions to emphasize experimentation in the PvE space. Riot Forge's new game development will cease after the release of Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story, marking the end of a publishing label created to collaborate with indie developers.

Despite everything, Riot says it is doing what’s best for the players and did offer a fairly comprehensive severance package to those impacted. The package included at least 6 months of pay, cash bonuses, and assistance with healthcare.

We've reached out to Riot Games to see if this wave of layoffs impacts the League of Legends MMO in development and will update this piece if we hear back.