Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent will be stepping down this year after 6 years in the position, Riot has announced. He will be succeeded by the company’s current global president, A. Dylan Jadeja.
Laurent, who has spent 14 years in leadership positions at Riot, including six as CEO, told employees he’s stepping down to spend more time with his family. He will remain with Riot in an advisory role once the handover is complete.
Incoming CEO Dylan Jadeja has been with Riot since 2011, and was named president in 2017. Since then Riot says he “has been one of the key leaders in crafting Riot’s strategy and driving our culture forward,” which suggests his move to CEO won’t change too much about the company’s overall strategy. The leadership transition will take place over the coming months, with the process expected to be fully complete by the end of the year.
In an email sent to Riot employees, Laurent explained the personal reasons behind his decision, while assuring Rioters that he wouldn’t be moving to another company or starting a new one. He also explained some of the process that went into choosing Jadeja as his successor, saying Riot “looked both inside and outside the company to find the very best person for this role and for Riot’s next chapter.”
Jadeja also sent a message to employees affirming his commitment to the company and its ongoing goals. The incoming CEO said he would be spending the next few months engaging with Riot’s different departments to “take stock of where we are and get a deeper understanding of what’s working and what we can do better.”
He ended with an acknowledgement that he “may do some things differently than those before me,” but that he would still be pursuing the same goal.
While most known for its MOBA League of Legends, Riot has branched out in recent years with FPS Valorant, and League spinoffs Legends of Runeterra, Wild Rift, and Teamfight Tactics. The studio also saw huge success with its animated series Arcane, a collaboration with Netflix, and has suggested there will be more to come in its Runeterra cinematic universe. Riot also has a number of other Runeterra-related games in production, including a fighting game, an action RPG, and an MMORPG.
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