A new report has highlighted staff concerns at Riot Games, as the League of Legends developer has begun encouraging staff back into its Los Angeles-based office.
Employees told Vice that Riot’s decision to drop its mask mandate and stop testing for unvaccinated employees put them at risk, as hybrid working with three days in the office per week was being encouraged as the new norm.
Today’s report comes just a week after similar criticisms and staff walkouts at Activision, which also has studios in California. Both companies said the changes reflected their state’s recent relaxation in Covid safety rules – despite rising case numbers due to the Omicron BA2 subvariant.
“I’m angry over it,” an Riot employee told Vice. “It’s a foolish and pointless policy being done at a poor time, and being handled without real guarantee of our safety. We’re just playing Russian roulette with Rioters’ health.”
In response, Riot has said it strongly encourages (but does not enforce) mask wearing on its property – unless that person has been a close contact of someone who tested positive, in which case mask-wearing is mandatory for 10 days.