Riot Lays Off 32 in “Future-Building” Move for League of Legends Team

At the present, obtaining information regarding today’s job cuts at the League of Legends unit demands significant effort. Presently, there are no updates on the game’s website, nor on the MOBA‘s individual social media pages. Even the Riot Games social media pages are silent. This lack of information could change, but for now, it’s challenging to find.

So, where did layoff news originate? It was posted in brief on the X account of Riot Games co-founder, Marc Merrill. There is no mention of the number of employees affected or the departments hit hardest with these layoffs.

The saved post called, “An Update on How We’re Evolving League”, could steer casual viewers to believe the game is simply being updated. In fact, the post reveals reductions in the MOBA team, adding that it’s not about cost-cutting. Merrill backs Andrei van Roon and Paul Bellezza, the Head of League Studio and Executive Producer respectively.

“In making these changes, we’ve decided to cut some roles but not with the intent to reduce costs. We want the right skills to ensure the continued success of League for 15 or more years”, states Merrill’s post. “Game development will progress without any slowdown. Our focus lies in swiftly tackling existing challenges while preparing for the future.”

Employees affected, such as Producer Alex Quach, have been offered a minimum of half a year’s pay as severance, yearly bonuses, and assistance finding employment, plus health insurance and further support.

The peculiar aspect is Merrill’s attempt to market this event as promising for the prospects of League of Legends. He suggests future plans to expand the team and that the cuts are part of the process of “building for the future” of the game. In a separate tweet , Merrill discusses the correlation between budgets and team size, stressing on having the right people at the right place to address real issues with the MOBA, rather than false problems.

In response to our queries, Joe Hixson, Sr. Comms Director, confirmed the League team will provide updates in the coming weeks. Hixson also confirmed that the layoffs will affect 32 team members from all departments.

We hope those impacted find stability soon.