Riot Games Celebrates 15 Years of League of Legends with Groundbreaking Charity Initiatives

As Riot Games commemorates the 15th anniversary of its flagship title, League of Legends, the gaming giant is launching a series of initiatives that go beyond mere celebration. The company's unwavering commitment to social good is taking center stage, with the introduction of "LoL Player Days" and a record-breaking in-game fundraiser that aims to empower its global player community and make a tangible difference in the world.

Empowering Players to Drive Real-World Change

Riot's Largest In-Game Fundraiser to Date

From October 9 to October 28, Riot Games is offering a first-ever 3x match opportunity for every purchase of the three exclusive Player Days Skins. The company will contribute 100% of the proceeds, along with a triple match, to the Riot Games Social Impact Fund. This monumental campaign comes at a time when the Social Impact Fund has already achieved an extraordinary milestone—raising over $50 million to date, all thanks to the generosity of Riot's global player community.

Evolving the Social Impact Fund

Since its inception in 2019, the Riot Games Social Impact Fund has become an essential part of Riot's mission to empower its player community while making a tangible difference in the world. The fund has evolved alongside Riot's growing portfolio, expanding its impact efforts as the company reached new regions and brought millions of new players into its ecosystem and games.Riot has been able to create a successful model for its efforts, running in-game fundraisers across all games on an annual basis and then pooling the money raised at the end of the year and donating it to hyper-local nonprofits operating in regions where its players live and supporting causes they've told the company they care most about. Players have now raised over $50 million for the fund, supporting more than 450 nonprofits across 28 regions worldwide.

Adapting Initiatives Across Diverse Game Portfolios

One of Riot's challenges has been to adapt the Social Impact Fund's initiatives across its diverse game portfolio. Each game, with its unique mechanics and community, requires tailored approaches to authentically create within that. For example, in VALORANT, a tactical first-person shooter, the team introduced the "Give Back Bundle," which allows players to vote on previous cosmetics that they want to see come back to the rotational shop. The winning items are then bundled together, and 50% of those proceeds for a certain period of time benefit the Social Impact Fund.

Empowering Players Through Charity Voting Campaigns

One of the most impactful ways Riot has engaged its player base is through charity voting campaigns that proved to be a successful model for hyper-local impact. These campaigns allow players to vote on which nonprofits would receive the funds raised, spotlighting hyper-local organizations, sometimes overlooked, in regions all around the world that are doing incredible work in their communities. This, in turn, drives website traffic to the nonprofits along with additional donations and even increases the number of volunteers they are seeing by highlighting them as a part of the campaign.

Integrating Social Impact into Esports Events

Riot Games is also finding innovative ways to integrate the Social Impact Fund into its esports events. During last year's League of Legends World Championship, Riot partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help bring awareness to the importance of expanding access to clean drinking water and sanitation to people around the globe through a campaign called "Take the Drake for Water's Sake." The initiative, which supported Water.org, triggered donations every time an Ocean Drake was secured during a match, ultimately raising $350,000 and providing clean water and sanitation access to 70,000 people worldwide.

Celebrating Milestones and Empowering Employees

The success of the Social Impact Fund is a source of immense pride for Riot Games' employees. To celebrate the milestone of raising over $50 million, Riot gave each employee a $50 credit to donate to a nonprofit of their choice through the company's donation matching platform. This gesture saw over 1,500 employees (Rioters) log in to donate, further emphasizing the company-wide commitment to social good.As Riot Games embarks on its next chapter, with LoL Player Days marking a pivotal moment in both its anniversary celebration and its fundraising efforts, it's clear that the company's commitment to empowering players goes beyond the digital realm. The Social Impact Fund has become a testament to how gaming can be a force for good, channeling the power of the community to create real-world change.