Every company has its own way of running their communications and social media departments. At the office of Los Angeles based developer Riot Games, communication and engagement with the player community is the number one priority.
Navigating to any of the various social media accounts owned by Riot Games can clearly show two things: the company’s dedication to its game and its community. The studio is constantly putting out updates, features, and fun content for its summoners (the nickname used for players of League of Legends) to enjoy across all social media outlets. One of the most recent tweets to go out from the official Riot Games Twitter was one about programming their new advanced bots, in order to provide a more authentic practice space for players before they hit the Rift (the main battleground in League of Legends) against other players. The Twitter also shares dates for monthly campus tours of their office in West Los Angeles, in order to provide players with the opportunity to see the studio first hand.
Not every single Rioter is out and about on social media, and may be difficult to find unless they make themselves available to the public eye. Amongst those that are more on the public side of social media are Nicola Piggot and Jeff Wycoff, Communications Lead for Esports and Social Media Strategist at Riot Games, respectively. Each of these communications experts holds an immense amount of pride over the work they get to do not only for Riot, but for the players as well. On her LinkedIn description, Ms. Piggot describes her job as one that involves “work[ing] with [Riot’s] regional comms teams all over the world to talk about live gaming experiences with fans and media”, while Mr. Wycoff “leverage[s] community development and real data to develop modern digital marketing strategies.” Both of these positions involve an immense amount of engagement with League players and internal Rioters alike, and the presence these two individuals have online exemplifies the amount of work expected of the “razor sharp professionals” at Riot Games.
Beyond memes on Twitter and content aplenty on YouTube and Twitch, Riot Games is also incredibly active on their Facebook page. Here, they not only share the usual updates and content shown on their Twitter, but they also feature a plentiful amount of community stories and behind the scenes snippets for players to enjoy. One of the most touching stories to come out of Riot was the story of Welgo and Schnanners; two friends who played League together until one passed away, and how Riot gave back to two dedicated pals. The studio also shared an inspirational story of a visual effects intern who got to work on Ivern, The Green Father from last year, as well as the path he took to get there.
Riot Games continues to prove its passion and dedication to play focus on a daily basis. From consistent updates and engaging content to community showcasing and silly memes, the company is well on its way to achieving its goal of being “the most player focused company in the world”, thanks to its community engagement online.
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