Riot Games Gives Week Off To Employees Due To Burnout, Pandemic

SANTA MONICA, CA — The minds and makers behind League of Legends and Valorant are taking a week off to "disconnect, recharge, and reboot," Riot Games announced this week.

The Santa Monica-based company is working to address burnout during the coronavirus pandemic, giving team members a week off starting on August 10.

"To make sure we’re not just cramming more into the following week, we’re shifting some patches and release timelines a bit to accommodate," the company announced. "A few teams are also staggering their time off to make sure everything is running smoothly."

The studio has released several recent hits—and now it is time for a break.

"Add COVID-19, working from home, and everything else going on in the world, and it can be hard to separate the “work” and “life” pieces of the work-life equation," the company said. "As game developers, we’re all hyper aware of the effects of crunch and project-based deadlines. We owe it to ourselves and to you to prioritize our health as a team (well, many teams) so we can bring you new experiences long into the future."

Riot has come under scrutiny for its work culture in the past, according to The Verge.

The move aims to give employees time off is to address their health, the impacts of working during a pandemic—and help prevent burnout.

Burnout happens when people reach physical, emotional or mental exhaustion, according to studies. And while our society has shifted to a new normal during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, burnout can appear different right now.

Some companies are applying a four-day work week. Others are announcing they will remain remote for the rest of 2020, as the U.S. continues to fight the outbreak.

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