Riot Games Reportedly Laying off Several Employees in Esports, HR and Many Departments: Businesses all across the world feel that our economy is about to enter rough waters, which makes it a horrible time to work at some of the major studios. Riot, the company that created League of Legends, is one example of this. Jacob Wolf reported on January 18 that Riot is announcing layoffs. The company currently has 150 positions open globally. Riot Games Layoffs
The layoffs are intended to reduce the workforce in esports, support, human resources, and recruiting. Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, announced the layoffs of 46 employees, citing them as “strategic moves within a few teams to tighten our focus in a number of areas.” Riot Games Layoffs
Riot Games is making layoffs, which started earlier today, multiple people have told me.
Size and scope are unclear at the moment, so far I’ve heard of effects across recruiting & human resources, support and esports. Will do more reporting in the morning for the newsletter.
— Jacob Wolf (@JacobWolf) January 19, 2023
“We never make these decisions lightly and will always start from a place of wanting to retain Rioters and have them focus on our highest priorities. While that’s not always possible, it’s our primary goal.”
Microsoft, one of the bigger companies affected by widespread layoffs, said that 10,000 jobs would be eliminated by the end of March. The parent company of Xbox claimed that the layoffs were necessary because of “macroeconomic conditions and shifting customer priorities,” with CEO Satya Nadella noting that customers are “optimising their digital spending to do more with less” and that this has caused a decline in revenue. In a financial document, the company stated that it also intends to streamline its real estate operations and modify its hardware line-up.
The studio claimed that although it typically works to keep and move staff, it was unable to do so in this instance due to shifting “strategic priorities,” leaving other, unrelated positions that still needed to be filled.
Read More: VCT 2023 LOCK//IN São Paulo format drew backlash from Pro VALORANT players and coaches
