It's no small secret that the video game industry can be unwelcoming to women, be it their portrayal within games themselves, or the vocal minority of overwhelmingly toxic communities. Recently, a damning report was released against Riot Games, the studio behind the free to play MOBA League of Legends, which asserted that there was a rampant "no girls allowed" type of culture that repeatedly denied women the opportunity to pursue leadership roles within the company along with other sexist behaviors. Now, Riot has outlined its plan to fix this negative culture, something they've done with their player base in the past.

In a blog posted to Riot's website, the company stated, "For the past three weeks, we’ve been focused on listening and learning. As a company, we’re used to patching problems ASAP, but this patch will not happen overnight. We will weave this change into our cultural DNA and leave no room for sexism or misogyny. Inclusivity, diversity, respect, and equality are all non-negotiable."

Riot also apologized to those that the company had let down internally, citing how long it took for the company to hear the voices of those harmed by the toxic culture and promising to make Riot a place to be proud of in the coming years.

The company then went on to outline their initiatives to change Riot's culture, citing 7 first steps that they plan to take to help change the studio's workplace culture. Chief among them is the creation of a team specializing in diversity and inclusiveness that will be directly accountable to the company's CEO. Riot will also begin working with two third-party consultation agencies to help push the initiative even further. Finally, the company will be expanding the pool it hires from and adjusting job descriptions to ensure that the positions are accessible to all.

Riot ended the post by reassuring their fans of their intentions.

We’ve always believed that Riot should be the home for the very best talent in gaming. It’s clear we’ve fallen short of that goal. But we’ve never backed down from a challenge before and we don’t plan to start now.

Ironically, Riot had joined an anti-toxicity alliance with other developers a few months before the original report released.

While Riot hasn't fundamentally changed yet, their plan is admirable. In an industry where certain Twitch stars don't even feel comfortable playing games with members of the opposite sex, equipping women and under-represented groups with the tools to be successful developers and content creators is important. Time will tell if Riot follows through, but hopefully, other developers will take note if they do.

Source: Riot Games