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Riot Games to pay $10 million settlement in gender discrimination lawsuit

The embattled company is set to pay out settlement cash to female employees at Riot Games over the last five years.

Brittany Vincent

December 2, 2019 4:30 PM

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Riot Games will pay out at least $10 million to female employees who have worked at the company over the past five years.

The impending payout was reported by the Los Angeles Times, and comes about as part of a settlement after a November 2018 lawsuit that described alleged gender discrimination at the company. Several female employees were also paid less than men in similar positions, according to documents obtained as part of the investigation.

According to the settlement, each participant in the class-action lawsuit will receive a set amount of money from the $10 million fund, which will be determined by each individual's tenure and status. This large sum of money is meant to help make up for the gap in pay between male and female employees at Riot Games in the past.

According to an email obtained by Kotaku, Riot Games is "pleased" that the settlement was filed.

"The settlement is another important step forward, and demonstrates our commitment to living up to our values and to making Riot an inclusive environment for the Industry’s best talent," the company offered. Riot Games has taken measures to change up the way it had approached problems with sexism at the company over the past few months, by bringing in a new diversity director, ridding itself of employees that cause issues, and offering employees additional ways to share their own feedback on the way things are headed.

However, whether this settlement will satisfy those caught in the crossfire from what the suits alleged earlier this year. It looks like Riot Games is outwardly committed to change, but time will tell if company culture is going to continue on a path for the more positive in the future or if things will stay the same, albeit with a bit more cash lining some of the female employees' pockets.

Brittany Vincent

Senior Editor

Fueled by horror, rainbow-sugar-pixel-rushes, and video games, Brittany is a Senior Editor at Shacknews who thrives on surrealism and ultraviolence. Follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake and check out her portfolio for more. Like a fabulous shooter once said, get psyched!