Riot Games is to pay out over $100 million to 1,548 women who are or were employed by the gaming giant, as part of a previously announced settlement in a 2018 class action lawsuit about gender discrimination. The new details come from an April filing by Rust Consulting (thanks Axios) which outlines the nature of a late 2021 settlement, agreed to by Riot, under which Riot will make initial payments of between $2,500 and $5,000 to women who worked there, with an additional sum based on role and tenure that could rise up to $156,056. Seven women in the suit chose to opt-out of the settlement.
The payments mark an end to a class action lawsuit that began in 2018, was settled in 2021, and had that agreement approved by a court in July 2022. The suit alleged systemic sexism and gender-based discrimination at the studio. Riot commissioned its own investigation of the claims prior to the settlement, and said at the time this showed "gender discrimination (in pay or promotion), sexual harassment, and retaliation are not systemic issues at Riot," but also that "some Rioters have had experiences that did not live up to our values or culture."
