League of Legends developer Riot Games will pay “at least $10 million” to women who’ve worked at Riot Games in the past five years, the Los Angeles Times reported today. The payout is part of a gender discrimination lawsuit filed in November 2018 following a Kotaku investigation into sexist culture at the company.
Two Riot Games employees, one current and one former, filed the lawsuit seeking unpaid wages, damages, and other penalties. The former employees alleged Riot Games of violating the California Equal Pay Act. Riot Games announced the settlement in August, but the proposed settlement — which still needs to be approved by the court — was filed today.
Around 1,000 female employees will be eligible for a share of the $10 million payout, depending on “tenure, length, and status,” according to Kotaku.
“Ultimately we’re happy to have this filed and to move one step closer to having the case resolved for those involved,” a Riot spokesperson said in a statement to Polygon. “We hope it shows our commitment to living up to our values and making Riot an inclusive environment for the industry’s best talent.”
The lawsuit was filed in 2018 after Kotaku’s damning report about the company’s sexist “bro culture.” The plaintiffs alleged sexist was rampant in the company, which promoted a “men-first” environment where harassment was normal. Women also reportedly faced retaliation for speaking out on these issues.
The settlement also includes Riot’s proposed commitments to inclusivity at the company, many of which were outlined in a 2019 blog post by chief diversity officer Angela Roseboro.