After six years as Riot Games CEO, Nicolo Laurent is stepping down. He’ll be replaced by the company’s current global president A. Dylan Jadeja.
“I can imagine this news may feel sudden, but transparently, it’s a decision that’s been on my mind for a while,” Laurent wrote in the statement announcing his replacement. He stated it wasn’t the work itself that compelled him to step down, but rather, “the personal trade-offs that have been hard and the sacrifices my wife and kids have made for my career, including all our expatriations. We’ve always been OK with this as a family, as long as we rebalance at some point. Now is that time.”
Riot Games’ upcoming CEO also wrote a note in the announcement post, addressing it to Laurent and his other colleagues. Jadeja described how grateful he is for the opportunity to take the reins and lead Riot into the future.
“As CEO, it is fair to assume that I may do some things differently than those before me, but I want to assure you that the goal for us — together — will not waver,” he said, “and that is to make Riot, unequivocally, the most trusted and authentic game company in the world… built by players, for players.”
Riot Games is most famous for its multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game “League of Legends.” In the game’s primary mode, two teams of five players each face off to destroy the opposite side’s “Nexus.” The game has spawned all kinds of spin-offs in media, such as the popular animated series “Arcane.”
The game has also spawned a reputation for being among the most toxic titles on the market, a reputation Riot has continually fought to change. It remains to be seen whether Jadeja will be able to change the game’s reputation during his tenure as CEO.
