Riot Games is finally ready to explain how it's going to stamp out a 'culture of sexism'

"We are prepared to make big changes and have begun taking action against specific cases, including removal of Rioters."
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

League of Legends developer Riot Games wants to share what it's learned over the past month.

The studio came under fire after Kotaku's Cecilia D'Anastasio delivered an investigative report on Aug. 7 that exposed what the story referred to as a "culture of sexism" at the company. Riot responded the next day with a statement that pledged to step back and take some time to listen and learn.

"We recognize we still have work to do to achieve our goals, which starts with listening to feedback from Rioters and others, and providing Rioters with the guidance and resources they need to uphold our values," the statement read (in part).

But no statement could halt the conversation that sprung up in the wake of the report. In the weeks that followed other former Riot employees came forward with stories of their own. While it was clear that not every employee at Riot had the same unpleasant experiences, a troubling pattern emerged to reinforce the original report.

Kotaku's article described an environment at the studio that's been dominated for some time by a "bro culture." A lot of it seems to be rooted in the company's emphasis on employing only the most hardcore fans of video games, coupled with the wrong-headed thinking that women somehow can't have that level of interest in such things.

Now, three weeks after its initial statement, Riot is ready to talk again. A Wednesday blog post bears the title "Our First Steps Forward" and it lays out an action plan -- detailed in some spots, vague in others -- aimed at leaving "no room for sexism or misogyny" in the company's "cultural DNA."

"We’re committed to do things the right way, and we know the change we need isn’t going to happen overnight."

"We’re committed to do things the right way, and we know the change we need isn’t going to happen overnight," the post reads, following an apologetic preamble. "We are taking everything we’ve learned from Rioters and leading culture-change experts, and we are starting to develop a plan with substance."

The post then lays out the company's 7-point approach to improving itself. There's nothing revelatory in Riot's plans, though it's important to note that there's no sense anywhere in the post of an expectation that the steps being taken will fix everything.

Riot will be taking steps to expand its Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, and the team assembled around it. That includes key hires at the company leadership level, with a Chief Human Resources Officer and a Chief Diversity Officer.

As an extension of this, Riot will also take a fresh look at its recruiting practices -- one of the stories shared recently by former employees talked at length about how a rape joke made its way into recruiting materials several years ago. The company will also commit to putting employees through training sessions, reevaluating the language in its corporate manifesto, and having its diversity and inclusion efforts evaluated by outside third parties.

The most detailed section of Riot's action plan relates to the companies investigation process. "We understand we lost trust with Rioters, so rebuilding trust is key to making Rioters feel safe and empowered to raise issues," the post reads.

These efforts include a newly established anonymous hotline where employees can submit complaints, a larger internal team -- backed by a law firm -- to work on investigating any reports of bad behavior, and an understandably vague reference to employees who have already been let go.

"No one and nothing is sacred," the post reads. "We are prepared to make big changes and have begun taking action against specific cases, including removal of Rioters, though we aren’t likely to get into those details publicly on a case-by-case basis for legal and privacy reasons."

Of course, actions speak louder than words. We're not here to applaud Riot for laying out an action plan comprised of the steps every company should take to protect its employees. But it's notable that the company has now not only acknowledged the reality that exists internally, but is also laying out for all the world to see how it plans to fix things.

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.

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