Riot Games Gender Discrimination Investigation Accelerating

The State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing made a statement, on Wednesday, June 12th, that it would be progressing forward in its investigation of popular video game developer Riot Games, Inc., known for producing the MOBA League of Legends. The state is filing an investigation enforcement suit  as part of its investigation into gender discrimination at Riot.  The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) has asked the courts to compel Riot to provide employees’ pay information for the ongoing investigation.

The statement further included that DFEH was looking into “alleged unequal pay, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and gender discrimination in selection and promotion.” The investigation originally began in October 2018, and according to DFEH, Riot has so far been uncooperative with the State.

Because this is not an IP issue we likely will not provide further coverage, but this litigation could have a wide-ranging impact on the entire video game industry. This litigation could further bolster the popular grassroots movements for developer unionization and labor rights in the video game industry that has been gaining momentum the past couple years.