Riot Games Settles Gender Discrimination Lawsuit For $100 Million. Every Female Worker Past & Present Gets $33K

While Blizzard Entertainment has been in the spotlight over the last year for its hostile work environment towards women, Riot Games officially settled a 2018 gender discrimination lawsuit for a whopping $100 million. While the Riot Games workplace issues have been largely off the news for the last year, they made major headlines when a Kotaku article first exposed them in 2018.

The settlement, which was announced today, sets aside $80 million which will be used to compensate all current and former employees and contractors who identify as women since November 2014. The remaining $20 million will cover attorneys fees and other expenses. In addition to the cash settlement, Riot Games agreed to have its pay system overseen by a third party for 3 years to ensure no further discrimination.

“This is a great day for the women of Riot Games – and for women at all video game and tech companies – who deserve a workplace that is free of harassment and discrimination,” said Genie Harrison, whose law firm represented the plaintiffs. “We appreciate Riot’s introspection and work since 2018 toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive company, its willingness to take responsibility for its past, and its commitment to continued fairness and equality in the future.”

A bit over 2,300 individuals will be eligible to receive compensation. If the $80M figure is divided equally amongst this cohort, everyone eligible would receive a $33,333 windfall. Those working at Riot Games for a longer stretch of time will be entitled to a larger chunk of the compensation.

Further Reading: Washington Post Coverage