A Riot Games executive has formally resigned, following backlash and outrage at one of his Facebook posts. Ron Johnson was hired as Global Head of Consumer Products last year and served on the business side of the games studio.

Riot

Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent released an internal letter to his employees, addressing the situation, following which Johnson submitted his resignation. 

“I believe Ron exercised really poor judgment here. It resulted in a post that was harmful to many of us and our broader community. It was insensitive. In this moment, it undermines the commitment we’ve made to stand against all acts of injustice, racism, prejudice, and hate.”

Laurent also spoke about how the situation affected the company as a whole.

“It hinders our ability to create an inclusive environment for our entire community: Rioters, players, and partners alike. Ron understands this and recognizes that he will be ineffective as a leader at Riot going forward. As a result, he has resigned, effective today.”

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Riot Games issue official statement

Johnson had posted the picture of George Floyd on Facebook. On the image, Johnson stated that George Floyd was actually a criminal with a long record and that he was a danger to society. The implication was that George Floyd had died because of his ‘criminal lifestyle’

Shortly after the post, Vice picked up the story, which brought it to the attention of the industry. 

Riot was quick to try and defuse the situation and released an official statement. “We’ll say firmly that the sentiment in that image is abhorrent, against our values. It is directly counter to our belief that addressing systemic racism requires immediate societal change, which we detailed in the commitments we made Friday”

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Ron Johnson is no longer a Riot employee. His resignation shows Riot Games’ commitment to having a unified stance as a studio. Riot has faced issues with its employees before.

Most infamously, Riot Games employees had staged a walk-out protest against the company’s toxic culture and ignorance of workplace harassment. If the company’s history with social issues is considered, Johnson’s prompt termination makes a lot of sense. Riot may have been so strict, in the interest of preserving the image they have carefully built over the past year.