Jump to content

Riot Games: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Updated name
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Rito Games (DoTA Creators)
| name = Riot Games
| logo = [[File:RiotGamesLogo.jpg|200px]]
| logo = [[File:RiotGamesLogo.jpg|200px]]
| type = Subsidiary of [[Tencent Holdings]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Tencent acquires majority stake in Riot Games|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tencent-acquires-majority-stake-in-riot-games/1100-6298298/|publisher=Gamespot|author=Jon Leo|date=8 Feb 2011|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>
| type = Subsidiary of [[Tencent Holdings]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Tencent acquires majority stake in Riot Games|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tencent-acquires-majority-stake-in-riot-games/1100-6298298/|publisher=Gamespot|author=Jon Leo|date=8 Feb 2011|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>
| foundation = 2006
| foundation = 2006
| location_city = [[Super Hell]], [[hell]
| location_city = [[Santa Monica]], [[California]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| location_country = [[United States]]
| key_people = Barack Obama <small>(CEO)</small><br /> Marc Merrill <small>(President)</small><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lien|first1=Tracey|title=Riot Games president defends company against Booty of greed|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/1/5264170/riot-games-president-defends-company-against-accusations-of-greed|accessdate=1 November 2014|work=Polygon|date=1 January 2014}}</ref>
| key_people = Brandon Beck <small>(CEO)</small><br /> Marc Merrill <small>(President)</small><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lien|first1=Tracey|title=Riot Games president defends company against accusations of greed|url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/1/1/5264170/riot-games-president-defends-company-against-accusations-of-greed|accessdate=1 November 2014|work=Polygon|date=1 January 2014}}</ref>
| industry = [[Video game industry|Interactive entertainment]]
| industry = [[Video game industry|Interactive entertainment]]
|locations = 11 (2014)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riotgames.com/about|title=The Riot Manifesto|publisher=Riot Games|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>
|locations = 11 (2014)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riotgames.com/about|title=The Riot Manifesto|publisher=Riot Games|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>
Line 23: Line 23:
Riot Games, Inc. was founded as an [[Indie game developer]] in 2006 by Brandon "Ryze" Beck, and Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=blizzardEmployees /> The company announced its first game, ''League of Legends: Clash of Fates'', in October 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/news/riot-games-league-legends-announced|title=Riot Games’ League of Legends Announced|publisher=[[1UP.com]]|author=Anthony Gallegos|date=7 Oct 2008|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> and released the game in October 2009 as simply ''League of Legends''. Their game uses a [[free-to-play]] model, supported by [[microtransactions]] rather than ads or boxed copy sales.
Riot Games, Inc. was founded as an [[Indie game developer]] in 2006 by Brandon "Ryze" Beck, and Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=blizzardEmployees /> The company announced its first game, ''League of Legends: Clash of Fates'', in October 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/news/riot-games-league-legends-announced|title=Riot Games’ League of Legends Announced|publisher=[[1UP.com]]|author=Anthony Gallegos|date=7 Oct 2008|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> and released the game in October 2009 as simply ''League of Legends''. Their game uses a [[free-to-play]] model, supported by [[microtransactions]] rather than ads or boxed copy sales.


In 2008 rito games received its initial bunding booty holes [[United States dollar|US]]$7 million provided by venture capital firms [[Benchmark Capital]] and [[FirstMark Capital]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5023761/riot-games-get-a-7m-launch|title=Riot Games Get a $7M Launch|publisher=Kotaku|author=Leigh Alexander|date=10 Jul 2008|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> In a second round of funding in 2009, the company raised $8 million from Benchmark, FirstMark, and Chinese technology giant [[Tencent Holdings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pehub.com/2009/09/09/riot-games-raises-8-million/|title=Riot Games Raises $8 Million|publisher=PE Hub|author=admin|date=9 Sep 2009|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/44167965/riot-games-8-million-play|title=Riot Games: $8 Million to Play With|publisher=Red Herring|author=Lalee Sadighi|date=Sep 2009|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> In early 2011, Tencent Holdings bought out a majority stake in Riot Games. Tencent later reported the deal was for $231,465,000 in an interim report.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tencent.com/en-us/content/ir/rp/2011/attachments/201101.pdf|title=Tencent 2011 Interim Report|page=44|publisher=Tencent|accessdate=29 Jan 2014}}</ref>
In 2008, Riot Games obtained initial funding of [[United States dollar|US]]$7 million provided by venture capital firms [[Benchmark Capital]] and [[FirstMark Capital]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5023761/riot-games-get-a-7m-launch|title=Riot Games Get a $7M Launch|publisher=Kotaku|author=Leigh Alexander|date=10 Jul 2008|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> In a second round of funding in 2009, the company raised $8 million from Benchmark, FirstMark, and Chinese technology giant [[Tencent Holdings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pehub.com/2009/09/09/riot-games-raises-8-million/|title=Riot Games Raises $8 Million|publisher=PE Hub|author=admin|date=9 Sep 2009|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/44167965/riot-games-8-million-play|title=Riot Games: $8 Million to Play With|publisher=Red Herring|author=Lalee Sadighi|date=Sep 2009|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> In early 2011, Tencent Holdings bought out a majority stake in Riot Games. Tencent later reported the deal was for $231,465,000 in an interim report.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tencent.com/en-us/content/ir/rp/2011/attachments/201101.pdf|title=Tencent 2011 Interim Report|page=44|publisher=Tencent|accessdate=29 Jan 2014}}</ref>


⚫
Employees at the company include veterans of ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'', such as the former lead developer [[Steve Feak|Steve "Guinsoo" Feak]], and the former official DotA-Allstars.com website founder Steve "Pendragon" Mescon.<ref name=da>{{cite web|url=http://www.neutralcreeps.com/2011/07/steve-mescon-hints-bringing-dota.html|title=Steve Mescon hints bringing DotA-AllStars.com back online|publisher=Neutral Creeps|date=5 Jul 2011|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> Riot Games also employs some former [[Blizzard Entertainment]] employees,<ref name=blizzardEmployees>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/blizzard-developers-join-riot-games-online-title|title=Blizzard developers join Riot Games' online title|publisher=GamesIndustryInternational|author=Kath Brice|date=25 Jun 2009|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref> including [[Greg Street]], former Lead Systems Designer for ''[[World of Warcraft]]''.<ref>http://www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-street/7/644/b35</ref><ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/1v6atn/greg_ghostcrawler_street_now_lead_game_designer/</ref><ref>http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3694-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games</ref> On July 12, 2013, Business Insider named Riot Games #4 on its list of the top 25 technology companies to work for in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/top-25-tech-companies-to-work-at-in-2013-2013-7?op=1|title=The 25 Best Tech Companies To Work For In 2013|publisher=Business Insider|author=Megan Rose Dickey|date=12 Jul 2013|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>
DOTA
⚫
eg-street/7/644/b35</ref><ref>http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/1v6atn/greg_ghostcrawler_street_now_lead_game_designer/</ref><ref>http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3694-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games</ref> On July 12, 2013, Business Insider named Riot Games #4 on its list of the top 25 technology companies to work for in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/top-25-tech-companies-to-work-at-in-2013-2013-7?op=1|title=The 25 Best Tech Companies To Work For In 2013|publisher=Business Insider|author=Megan Rose Dickey|date=12 Jul 2013|accessdate=16 Oct 2013}}</ref>


On November 8, 2013, Riot Games announced that the company is to relocate to western Los Angeles in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/08/riot-games-moving-to-huge-new-campus-in-2015?abthid=527d2ea8874b95cc1200000a | publisher=[[IGN]] | first=Chris | last=Pereira | title=Riot Games Moving to Huge New Campus in 2015 | date=2013-11-08}}</ref>
On November 8, 2013, Riot Games announced that the company is to relocate to western Los Angeles in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/08/riot-games-moving-to-huge-new-campus-in-2015?abthid=527d2ea8874b95cc1200000a | publisher=[[IGN]] | first=Chris | last=Pereira | title=Riot Games Moving to Huge New Campus in 2015 | date=2013-11-08}}</ref>

Revision as of 12:23, 4 January 2015

Riot Games
Company typeSubsidiary of Tencent Holdings[1]
IndustryInteractive entertainment
Founded2006
Headquarters
Santa Monica, California
,
United States
Number of locations
11 (2014)[2]
Key people
Brandon Beck (CEO)
Marc Merrill (President)[3]
ProductsLeague of Legends
RevenueIncrease US $624 million (2013)[4]
Number of employees
1,000 (2013 estimate)[5]
ParentTencent
Websitewww.riotgames.com

Riot Games is an American video game publisher that was established in 2006. Their main office is based in Santa Monica, California. They currently have additional offices located in St. Louis, Dublin, Berlin, Seoul, São Paulo, Istanbul, Moscow, Sydney, and Taipei.[6]

Riot Games has produced a single game, League of Legends, which was released in both North America and Europe on October 27, 2009.[7]

History

Riot Games, Inc. was founded as an Indie game developer in 2006 by Brandon "Ryze" Beck, and Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill in Los Angeles.[8] The company announced its first game, League of Legends: Clash of Fates, in October 2008,[9] and released the game in October 2009 as simply League of Legends. Their game uses a free-to-play model, supported by microtransactions rather than ads or boxed copy sales.

In 2008, Riot Games obtained initial funding of US$7 million provided by venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and FirstMark Capital.[10] In a second round of funding in 2009, the company raised $8 million from Benchmark, FirstMark, and Chinese technology giant Tencent Holdings.[11][12] In early 2011, Tencent Holdings bought out a majority stake in Riot Games. Tencent later reported the deal was for $231,465,000 in an interim report.[13]

Employees at the company include veterans of Defense of the Ancients, such as the former lead developer Steve "Guinsoo" Feak, and the former official DotA-Allstars.com website founder Steve "Pendragon" Mescon.[14] Riot Games also employs some former Blizzard Entertainment employees,[8] including Greg Street, former Lead Systems Designer for World of Warcraft.[15][16][17] On July 12, 2013, Business Insider named Riot Games #4 on its list of the top 25 technology companies to work for in 2013.[18]

On November 8, 2013, Riot Games announced that the company is to relocate to western Los Angeles in 2015.[19]

Game

Title Year Genre Platform
League of Legends 2009 Multiplayer online battle arena Windows/Mac

Distribution

Riot Games has already released and distributed League of Legends in South America, Australia, the United States, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Western and Eastern Europe, Brazil, and Indonesia.[20] In China, Riot's primary shareholder Tencent Inc. distributes the game online. In Southeast Asia, online game service provider Garena publishes League of Legends. In North America, Riot Games self-publishes and operates the game and all of its customer service aspects.

In Europe, Riot Games has signed an international licensing partnership with GOA, a division of Orange S.A.. On October 13, 2009, GOA and Riot announced that they would start channeling server access for players located in Europe, to GOA's dedicated servers. This restriction meant that players located in Europe would not be able to play on Riot's servers in the United States. Due to negative community feedback, the channeling decision was rescinded October 16, 2009. On May 10, 2010, Riot Games announced that they would take over distribution and operation of the game in Europe. To do so, Riot Games established a European headquarters in Dublin.[21]

On July 19, 2012, Riot Games launched the official Closed Beta Test servers for League of Legends Greece. The game has been fully localized, including translated menus, texts, subtitles, with all champions being dubbed. On April 16, 2013, Riot Games launched the official Open Beta Test servers for League of Legends Russia.

References

  1. ^ Jon Leo (8 Feb 2011). "Tencent acquires majority stake in Riot Games". Gamespot. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  2. ^ "The Riot Manifesto". Riot Games. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  3. ^ Lien, Tracey (1 January 2014). "Riot Games president defends company against accusations of greed". Polygon. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  4. ^ Maiberg, Emanuel (25 January 2014). "League of Legends revenues for 2013 total $624 million [UPDATE]". Gamespot. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  5. ^ Mike Snider (July 11, 2013). "'League of Legends' makes big league moves". USA Today. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  6. ^ Riot Games. "Jobs at Riot". Retrieved 17 Oct 2013.
  7. ^ Riot Games. "Interactive Timeline". Retrieved 17 Oct 2013.
  8. ^ a b Kath Brice (25 Jun 2009). "Blizzard developers join Riot Games' online title". GamesIndustryInternational. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  9. ^ Anthony Gallegos (7 Oct 2008). "Riot Games' League of Legends Announced". 1UP.com. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  10. ^ Leigh Alexander (10 Jul 2008). "Riot Games Get a $7M Launch". Kotaku. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  11. ^ admin (9 Sep 2009). "Riot Games Raises $8 Million". PE Hub. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  12. ^ Lalee Sadighi (Sep 2009). "Riot Games: $8 Million to Play With". Red Herring. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  13. ^ "Tencent 2011 Interim Report" (PDF). Tencent. p. 44. Retrieved 29 Jan 2014.
  14. ^ "Steve Mescon hints bringing DotA-AllStars.com back online". Neutral Creeps. 5 Jul 2011. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  15. ^ http://www.linkedin.com/pub/greg-street/7/644/b35
  16. ^ http://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/1v6atn/greg_ghostcrawler_street_now_lead_game_designer/
  17. ^ http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/3694-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games-Ghostcrawler-is-Now-Lead-Game-Designer-at-Riot-Games
  18. ^ Megan Rose Dickey (12 Jul 2013). "The 25 Best Tech Companies To Work For In 2013". Business Insider. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  19. ^ Pereira, Chris (2013-11-08). "Riot Games Moving to Huge New Campus in 2015". IGN.
  20. ^ "Indonesian servers join the League: transfer now". 18 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  21. ^ "Riot Games Inc establishes EMEA Headquarters in Dublin". IDA Ireland Investment Promotion Agency. 15 Jul 2010. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.

Further reading

  1. Will “Chobra” Cho (13 Oct 2012). Riot Games Office Tour with Chobra (video). ggChronicle. Retrieved 16 Oct 2013.
  2. Brad Stone, Ashlee Vance, and Cliff Edwards, "Blurring the Line Between Virtual and Real.." Bloomberg Businessweek, no. 4235 (June 27, 2011): 37-38.
  3. Jamaica King (December 2010). Online Gaming Communities: Strengths, Limitations, & Death. Interface.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Riot_Games&oldid=640936543"