Hunter C. June 13, 2019
The State of California is investigating Riot Games, the developer behind League of Legends, for allegations of gender discrimination, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed a court action demanding Riot Games provide it with employee pay data. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing investigates civil rights laws in the state.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the department wanted the information “as part of an investigation into alleged unequal pay, sexual harassment, sexual assault, retaliation and gender discrimination in selection and promotion” into Riot Games.
Last month, over 200 employees walked out of Riot Games headquarters in California as part of a wider protest over the company’s culture of sexism and the recent handling of sexual discrimination lawsuits.
Female employees, both former and current, have filed a lawsuit against Riot alleging unequal pay and sexual harassment.
Riot released a statement on the matter assuring the public that it was cooperating as required.
“We’ve been in active conversations with the DFEH since its inquiry began. Investigations like this can arise when there have been allegations of workplace disparity and we’ve been cooperating in good faith with the DFEH to address its concerns,” Riot Games said.
The company says that it has provided over 2,500 pages of documents to the DFEH and that it’s confident that the steps it has taken to address the issues brought up by its employees are adequate.
Executives at the company were accused of “farting on or near male employees,” openly commenting on the looks of female employees, and providing a general lack of opportunities for its female employees.
After the original allegations came to light, Riot released a statement in which it promised change.
“We will weave this change into our cultural DNA and leave no room for sexism or misogyny. Inclusivity, diversity, respect, and equality are all non-negotiable,” the company said.