Earlier this week we reported on claims that League of Legends developer Riot Games had blocked lawsuits from employees, citing arbitration clauses when they were hired, meaning that claims had to be settled in private, and now further reports are emerging that employees are considering a walkout in protest over the studio's actions.
"Talk of a walkout has been brewing among a number of folks with varying levels of investment since Kotaku's first article hit," an anonymous source told Waypoint, "and leadership consistently promised transparency/actions to be taken and then did not deliver on that promise."
The same article also shared a message from Riot's chief diversity officer, Angela Roseboro, which they had obtained:
"We're also aware there may be an upcoming walkout and recognize some Rioters are not feeling heard. We want to open up a dialogue on Monday and invite Rioters to join us for small group sessions where we can talk through your concerns, and provide as much context as we can about where we've landed and why. If you're interested, please take a moment to add your name to this spreadsheet. We're planning to keep these sessions smaller so we can have a more candid dialogue."
"When Angela Roseboro offered to schedule focus sessions with people," said one employee, "there was backlash because people were frustrated at yet another example of closed-door discussions instead of transparency. Overall, I think Rioters are sick of feeling like they have no visibility into what leadership is actually doing to improve."
Roseboro later talked about the reports on arbitration specifically, saying that there is still "work to do", but that there are "pros, cons, and nuances to the discussion of arbitration".
A further Riot statement echoed the studio's apparent desire for dialogue:
"We're proud of our colleagues for standing up for what they believe in. We always want Rioters to have the opportunity to be heard, so we're sitting down today with Rioters to listen to their opinions and learn more about their perspectives on arbitration. We will also be discussing this topic during our biweekly all-company town hall on Thursday. Both are important forums for us to discuss our current policy and listen to Rioter feedback, which are both important parts of evaluating all of our procedures and policies, including those related to arbitration."
This is part of an ongoing saga that started with reports on sexism in the studio last year, and a big part of the criticism is that COO Scott Gelb is still in his position after allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct emerged.
As the story around Riot Games' employees develops, we will keep you updated.