Riot Games to Pay $10 Million to Female Employees in Lawsuit Settlement

Riot Games is settling a class action lawsuit by agreeing to pay at least $10 million to current and former female employees. The lawsuit, filed by two women who had worked for the game studio, alleged violations of the Equal Pay Act, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. The settlement was announced in August, but court documents filed on Monday revealed the $10 million settlement amount.

The suit alleged that female employees were denied promotions and equal pay. It also alleged they were subjected to “unsolicited and unwelcome pictures of male genitalia” and managers circulating a list ranking female employees’ attractiveness, among other complaints. Over 150 employees staged a walkout at Riot Game’s headquarters in Los Angeles in May over the company’s handling of the lawsuit.

So who’s getting paid? More than 1,000 women who worked for the company between November 2014 and the present will receive a portion of the $10 million payout. Amounts of payments will depend on how long they spent with the company and their employment status (full-time versus temporary contractor). Most of the women are estimated to receive at least $5,000.

“We are grateful for every Rioter who has come forward with their concerns and believe this resolution is fair for everyone involved,” Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent said in a statement in August. “Over the past year, we’ve made substantial progress toward evolving our culture and will continue to pursue this work as we strive to be the most inclusive company in gaming.”

The settlement is a big development in the treatment of women in the video game industry, which has seen significant news coverage since the GamerGate controversy in 2014.