Riot Games’ gender discrimination settlement has been approved

Two years after announcing its $100 million settlement for its 2018 gender discrimination case, the courts have finally approved the settlement, and those involved will begin receiving payouts.

The details:

• Riot Games has announced (via VentureBeat) that it will begin paying out $100 million to all 1,548 women who worked for the developer between 2014 and 2021. $80 million will be split between current and former full-time employees and temporary contractors, while the remaining $20 million will be used to cover legal fees and other expenses. Seven women are said to have opted out of the settlement.
• The original lawsuit, filed in 2018, claimed that women who worked at the studio faced sexism and other forms of discrimination, with "bro culture" enabling and encouraging the behavior. Riot conducted its own investigation and concluded that while "gender discrimination (in pay or promotion), sexual harassment, and retaliation are not systemic issues at Riot," "some Rioters have had experiences that did not live up to our values or culture.”
• Gaude Paez, Riot's SVP of corporate affairs, said in a new statement following the conclusion of the lawsuit, "Today, the Court stated that it is granting final approval of Riot’s global class action settlement, bringing to a close our litigation with the class action plaintiffs, the California Civil Rights Department, and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. This has been a long road for everyone involved, and we’re grateful to the Rioters for their patience and support throughout this process."
• Since the initial filing, the company has addressed its internal work culture directly with new plans, released diversity and inclusion reports revealing that 27.5% of its employees identified as women in 2022, and hired a chief diversity officer. Despite progress in some areas, former assistant Sharon O'Donnell filed a new lawsuit in 2019 against Riot and its then-CEO Nicolo Laurent, alleging that the CEO engaged in sexually inappropriate behavior until she was fired in July 2020. Laurent recently left the position, and A. Dylan Jadeja, the company's former president, is set to take his place.

More gaming news:

• Ubisoft has confirmed the job cuts of up to 60 customer service employees in the US and UK. Several employees claim that the layoffs occurred without warning or preparation, putting many in a difficult situation.
• Virtuos has announced the establishment of a new studio in Warsaw, Poland, as a branch of Virtuos Labs. The new team will be led by rendering lead Peter Sikacheve, who has 12 years of experience in graphics programming and has previously worked on CD Projekt Red and Eidos Montreal games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
• According to Activision Blizzard's most recent financial report, its PC titles have brought in more revenue than console games. Between January 1 and March 31, its PC games generated $666 million, while console releases generated $639 million.