Riot Is Reportedly Establishing An ‘Ethics Committee’ Following NEOM Backlash

While Riot Games is trying to put the recent drama behind it, the NEOM backlash is still being felt. Now, the video game developer is creating an ethics community to ensure this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

Riot was at the centre of a media storm when it announced NEOM as a lead partner of this year's League of Legends European Championship. Now, a global deals council aims to provide company-wide transparency for “all business development and sponsorship deals occurring in Riot’s global operation". 

• Read More: CS:GO Talent Is Reportedly Refusing To Work With Blast Following NEOM Partnership

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According to ESPN, the council will be made up of representatives from the legal and diversity and inclusion teams, Riot Games’ Karma social impact division, and the Global Esports team. It will report in to Brian Cho, Riot's Head of Corporate and Business Development, and Mark Sottosanti - Senior Vice President. 

Riot Games President Dylan Jadeja told staff: “The intent is for all of us to have a voice to raise a flag and for that to be followed through on. That team, that department, will also be responsible for formalizing and reinforcing the deal evaluation framework". 

Spokesperson Joe Hixson explained, "We’re not going to comment on specifics of an internal conversation. We’re in the process of reevaluating our internal processes to make sure nothing like this happens again". 

• Read More: League Of Legends And Fortnite Nearly Got Banned In The US

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The NEOM partnership was announced on July 29 and quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons. As well as LEC talent threatening to go on strike, those near the top said they were "blindsided" by the deal. Given the number of LGBTQ+ employees that work for Riot, partnering with NEOM was a contentious issue due to Saudi Arabia's stance on LGBTQ+ rights. 

Riot's separate ethics committee will come into play after the company took advice from its board of directors and outside advisors. The committee will be involved in discussing company direction and philosophy, evaluating deals, and Riot's relationships with global partners. Even though the dust has started to settle on the NEOM backlash, there's no escaping the fact the scandal has been a learning curve for everyone at Riot Games

Images via Riot Games | LoL Esports Photos Flickr