Riot Games donates $1.5 million to aid in Los Angeles coronavirus relief efforts

Continuing efforts against the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 have come in various forms throughout the world as many industries find a way to either support local efforts or efforts the world around. League of Legends developer Riot Games has most certainly felt the strain of the virus as it forced esports events and competitions to be canceled, but the developer and publisher aren’t taking it laying down. Riot Games and its co-founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill have donated a total of $1.5 million to aid in relief efforts against the coronavirus in LA.

The donation from Riot games was noted in a press conference from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on March 24, 2020, as originally reported by Wired.

“We are blessed here in L.A. to have industries that not only fuel our city but our country and our world’s economy. Gaming is one of those industries and one of the leaders in that space is Riot Games,” Garcetti said during the conference which was aired live on Facebook.

Riot Games co-founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill haven't always been on the good side of stories, but with the means to do something in this critical time, their contribution to COVID-19 relief efforts can't be overlooked.

Riot would go on to detail that the donations being made were both on behalf of the company itself and individual donations from both Beck and Merrill. Between Riot Games, Beck, and Merrill, the individual donations are $500,000 apiece. Riot went on to clarify that $400,000 of the total would be donated to the Los Angeles Food Bank, $200,000 to a fund established by Mayor Garcetti to aid health care, childcare, senior meals, and grants to low-income or unemployed residents in need, and the rest to various non-profit organizations in the Los Angeles area.

Riot Games’s contribution, though local, is substantial and helpful in this trying time. They join other companies in relief efforts such as Razer, who shifted resources over to manufacturing of surgical masks for donation worldwide, and Hinterland Studios, who put their game The Long Dark on sale with all revenue going to support the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

It’s likely a long road back from the issues the coronavirus has caused worldwide, but with the aid of various forces with the means, it could be a just slightly shorter trip.