Riot Games agrees to pay $100M to settle a 2018 class-action gender discrimination lawsuit with current and former women employees and California state agencies
you don't have to suffer inequity and harassment in silence. Change is possible https://twitter.com/... Shannon Liao / @shannon_liao : BREAKING NEWS: Riot Games settles the 2018 California gender discrimination suit for $100 million. $80 million will go to women employees and contractors at Riot who worked there between 2014 and now. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Launcher / @launcherwp : At least 2,300 employees are eligible for part of the $80 million that is going to members of the class-action suit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Patrick Beja / @notpatrick : This all seems like it's going the way it should. I'm sure no one is 100% happy about it all, but I really appreciate the seemingly honest acknowledgments & efforts on Riot's part. ABK & co should take notes... Also, third party monitoring is the way to go! https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... @artemishowl_ : This part of the article was my favorite part. I heard about this from mutuals so to even score an interview for *customer service*, I submitted my ex's Summoner tag and it worked 🙄 Did my job just fine and had a blast. Had plenty of background experience thanks to HOTS. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... @mesaanasedai : To all the people who stood up and fought, you are an inspiration. Let's not let this get lost in the news cycle. https://twitter.com/... Chana / @aryeila : “As part of the settlement, Riot must be monitored by a third party for three years. That party will oversee human resource complaints, how they are handled and whether employees of all genders are being paid fairly.” Sounds like finally some accountability. https://twitter.com/... @montecristo : Riot has settled discrimination claims for $100 million, which is 10x the amount they tried to settle for in 2019. There's been a lot of talk about Blizzard, but don't forget Riot's egregious history of mistreating women. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ... Shannon Liao / @shannon_liao : “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 plaintiffs' counsel and employment and sexual harassment lawyer Genie Harrison. Shannon Liao / @shannon_liao : In a Monday email to Riot employees that was obtained by @washingtonpost, executives said, “We want to acknowledge that the timing of this announcement isn't ideal. The final details of the agreement came together quickly, and we wanted you to hear about it from us directly.” Shannon Liao / @shannon_liao : Originally, Riot agreed to settle the suit in 2019 for $10 million, but California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing intervened, arguing that victims should be entitled to $400 million.
Context & Ripple Effects
Riot’s earlier undisclosed class-action settlement did not end the dispute: California subsequently sought employee pay data for its discrimination probe, and a former executive assistant later accused CEO Nicolas Laurent of gender-based harassment. The $100 million agreement closes the 2018 case on materially more defined terms, with state agencies involved alongside employees.
The settlement also turns a past employment dispute into an operating obligation: Riot will face three years of third-party oversight of HR complaints and pay equity.
First-order effects
- At least 2,300 current and former women employees and contractors are eligible to share $80 million, while Riot assumes the larger $100 million settlement cost.
- Riot’s HR complaint handling and pay-equity practices will be monitored by an independent third party for three years, giving the resolution consequences beyond compensation.
Second-order effects
- California’s pursuit of Riot’s pay data has shown how employee claims can be reinforced by state enforcement, increasing the pressure on game studios to substantiate pay-equity and complaint-handling practices.
- The terms create a more concrete comparator for other employers facing workplace-misconduct claims; Activision Blizzard’s later $18 million EEOC settlement illustrates that major game-industry employers were also resolving such cases through formal settlements.
Third-order effects
- If settlements continue to pair employee compensation with externally monitored HR and pay-equity processes, workplace-discrimination enforcement will increasingly shape internal management systems rather than end with a payment.
- California’s role points toward a model in which state agencies can turn workplace allegations into broader scrutiny of employer records and controls.
The trend: Employment-discrimination cases in games are moving from private allegations toward state-backed settlements that combine compensation with sustained oversight.