Riot Games Announces Major Internal Shuffle for Esports, Entertainment Sections

Riot Games announced that it had undergone a major internal reshuffle that affected its esports and entertainment sections in an effort to better connect games with others.

The management change involves the appointment of current esports president John Needham as president of publishing and esports. He will now be responsible for creating "new integrated experiences" that will combine its esports, music, and creative publishing sectors.

Riot Games' Major Internal Restructuring

In 2017, Needham was hired as managing director of Europe and has since held several leading roles. Before he worked for Riot Games, he was head of European publishing at Lionhead and CEO of Cryptic Studios.

The major internal restructuring also involves the creation of two new studios that will run Riot Games' TV film and development efforts. These include an animation studio that is run by creative director Christian Linke and a live-action studio that is led by chief content officer Brian Wright, according to GamesIndustry.

Linked started working with Riot Games in 2010 and at the time was a data analyst before becoming a composer on League of Legends the year after. He then went on to become the creator and showrunner of Arcane in 2015.

In 2021, Wright was appointed chief content officer following seven years at Netflix as vice president of family content. In a statement, Riot Games CEO Dylan Jadeja said that they have been working for the past year to reorient their organization and structure.

The company also said that the latest restructuring aims to expand its influence both inside of esports and gaming and extend it within music and publishing. Jadeja added that they want every moment a player spends with them to be worth it, said EsportsInsider.

Serving Players Better

Jadeja said that the latest effort marks another step on that journey, adding that Needham, Linke, and Wright were all incredible leaders. She noted that with them and their teams, they will dream up even more memorable and defining moments that players and Rioters can be proud of.

What the major internal restructuring at Riot Games would mean for players is that it would better connect the company's around-game content with the games themselves. This would lead to more cohesive experiences for both players and fans.

The company also said that by bringing publishing and esports closer together, they are doubling down on its dedication to esports. The two new studios will allow for more dedicated resources and a greater focus on both animation excellence and the exploration of live-action projects, according to Riot Games.