Riot Game's New Office is Seriously Cool

Steven Bogos

The Taco Man
Jan 17, 2013
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Riot Game's New Office is Seriously Cool

Riot Game's new office is probably cooler than yours.

Everyone knows how big tech companies like Google and Blizzard have huge, extravagant fun-house offices, and now League of Legends developer Riot Games is ready to join in on the fun, announcing its move to a brand-new 284,000 square foot campus in western Los Angeles. On its official blog [http://www.riotgames.com/articles/20150420/1663/twas-night-our-move-la], Riot offered fans a glimpse into the world its employees will soon be enjoying on a daily basis. Check it out below:

[gallery=4046]

The new entryway, no doubt inspired by Blizzard's badass Orc statue [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/139517-Blizzard-Sends-Orc-Statues-to-10-Year-World-of-Warcraft-Vets], features an equally badass sculpture of two of League of Legends most iconic characters: Annie and Tibbers.

Elsewhere, there's a play area, complete with dozens of computers for devs to get their League on, and various arcades to simply relax in. There are also almost 100 breakout rooms, four atriums, and an outdoor area that appears to feature a large-scale chessboard where the pieces sit on the ground.

Lastly, "Bilgewater Brew's" is the campus's restaurant, and appropriately looks like it was taken straight out of the League of Legends universe.

So take a moment to marvel at Riot's new office, and curse that the one you are working at isn't as cool.

Source: Riot Games [http://www.riotgames.com/articles/20150420/1663/twas-night-our-move-la]

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RJ 17

The Sound of Silence
Nov 27, 2011
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I really have to wonder how much of the employees' time is spent getting paid to sit around and faff about playing games. I mean...they do actually have jobs right? As in, actual duties to perform? Or is it some kind of paradise where you get paid for doing whatever you want all day?

If so, I wonder if they're hiring. :p
 

Worgen

Follower of the Glorious Sun Butt.
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Apr 1, 2009
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Whatever, just wash your hands.
It would be funny if it was full of smite stuff.
 

Metadigital

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RJ 17 said:
I really have to wonder how much of the employees' time is spent getting paid to sit around and faff about playing games. I mean...they do actually have jobs right? As in, actual duties to perform? Or is it some kind of paradise where you get paid for doing whatever you want all day?

If so, I wonder if they're hiring. :p
I imagine they work 60-100 hours a week slaving over their computers and all this excess is meant to keep them in the office so they don't go home at night or leave for meals.

Not that I'm jaded about the game industry, but this is expensive, and not something a business owned by foriegn investors is going to do frivolously.
 

Steven Bogos

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Jan 17, 2013
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Metadigital said:
RJ 17 said:
I really have to wonder how much of the employees' time is spent getting paid to sit around and faff about playing games. I mean...they do actually have jobs right? As in, actual duties to perform? Or is it some kind of paradise where you get paid for doing whatever you want all day?

If so, I wonder if they're hiring. :p
I imagine they work 60-100 hours a week slaving over their computers and all this excess is meant to keep them in the office so they don't go home at night or leave for meals.

Not that I'm jaded about the game industry, but this is expensive, and not something a business owned by foriegn investors is going to do frivolously.
Bingo. Not just video game companies but tech companies in general often have "crunch time" periods in the lead up to the launch of a product where employees are at the office 24/7. These "luxiries" are to distract them from the horrible fact that they've been at the office a week straight and have forgotten what their wife looks like.
 

dragongit

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Wow, quite a lot of money they got to throw around it seems... sure would be nice if they could... oh I dunno... make another game? Just seems like that statue alone could have cost upwards of 10 team members yearly salary.

People complain that Blizzard doesn't make any new IPs, but they do experiment from time to time, especially with Overwatch, and beyond that they make sequels. Riot "Game" has one note. MAKE ANOTHER GAME!
 

SlumlordThanatos

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Aug 25, 2014
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So that's where my money has been going.

Ever since they gutted their forums (effectively making them a copy of Reddit, which I can't stand), I couldn't find a reason to continue being a part of that community, and this certainly didn't help me change my mind. Maybe I should pass on Archduke Nasus, because they clearly don't need the extra money.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with nice offices, but this just seems...extravagant.
 

UberPubert

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Jun 18, 2012
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Steven Bogos said:
Bingo. Not just video game companies but tech companies in general often have "crunch time" periods in the lead up to the launch of a product where employees are at the office 24/7. These "luxiries" are to distract them from the horrible fact that they've been at the office a week straight and have forgotten what their wife looks like.
Riot Games haven't released a new title in six years.

They've been coasting on releasing skins and booster packs for the same milque-toast MOBA format that's worked since Warcraft 3's DOTA.
 

JaceArveduin

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UberPubert said:
Steven Bogos said:
Bingo. Not just video game companies but tech companies in general often have "crunch time" periods in the lead up to the launch of a product where employees are at the office 24/7. These "luxiries" are to distract them from the horrible fact that they've been at the office a week straight and have forgotten what their wife looks like.
Riot Games haven't released a new title in six years.

They've been coasting on releasing skins and booster packs for the same milque-toast MOBA format that's worked since Warcraft 3's DOTA.
They've also updated it constantly, and not always in a minor way. And random maps/modes, though those are limited time, much to our chagrin.

I'm sure they'll eventually do something else, once LoL stops being fucking massive, that is.
 

UberPubert

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JaceArveduin said:
They've also updated it constantly, and not always in a minor way. And random maps/modes, though those are limited time, much to our chagrin.

I'm sure they'll eventually do something else, once LoL stops being fucking massive, that is.
Yeah, right around the time Activision stops publishing call of duty games and half-life 3 comes out.
 

MetalGenocide

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I'm so happy they're spending the money on important things, and not on useless trifles like:
Better servers.
Things that are not new skins.
Functioning punishment system for "toxic" players.
Replays.
Matchmaking improvements.
Connection issue fail-safes.
Not bludgeoning lore.
Remaking problematic champs.
Buffing Darius.
Irelia all-around update.
Making URF mode permanent.
Etc.
 

AlouetteSK

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Sep 4, 2014
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MetalGenocide said:
I'm so happy they're spending the money on important things, and not on useless trifles like:
Better servers.
Things that are not new skins.
Functioning punishment system for "toxic" players.
Replays.
Matchmaking improvements.
Connection issue fail-safes.
Not bludgeoning lore.
Remaking problematic champs.
Buffing Darius.
Irelia all-around update.
Making URF mode permanent.
Etc.
New Client where?
Narrative team where?
New and Improved Lore Where?
*sighs*
 

Dalek Caan

Pro-Dalek, Anti-You
Feb 12, 2011
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Wow, people are pretty salty about how other people use the money they gained from making a successful video game. Still a pretty cool office, although I am disappointed there is no void themed area.
 

Sonicron

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Mar 11, 2009
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Steven Bogos said:
Metadigital said:
RJ 17 said:
I really have to wonder how much of the employees' time is spent getting paid to sit around and faff about playing games. I mean...they do actually have jobs right? As in, actual duties to perform? Or is it some kind of paradise where you get paid for doing whatever you want all day?

If so, I wonder if they're hiring. :p
I imagine they work 60-100 hours a week slaving over their computers and all this excess is meant to keep them in the office so they don't go home at night or leave for meals.

Not that I'm jaded about the game industry, but this is expensive, and not something a business owned by foriegn investors is going to do frivolously.
Bingo. Not just video game companies but tech companies in general often have "crunch time" periods in the lead up to the launch of a product where employees are at the office 24/7. These "luxiries" are to distract them from the horrible fact that they've been at the office a week straight and have forgotten what their wife looks like.
A wonderfully amusing way of describing an utterly horrible business practice. I remember doing research on the gaming industry for a university paper a few years back and came across a number of documents describing all this stuff (and its disastrous effects on employees) and more (like the industry's despicable practice of routinely failing to hire devs age 45+ because they can no longer hack crunch time like the young folks can).
Playing games is fun. Making games? ... Yeah, that can be fun, too. But that doesn't change the fact that the current industry standard is throwing young devs into a fucking juicer until their best years are behind them and only shredded pulp remains. And awesomely swanky offices like these are really just a distraction from this awful fact.
 

Risingblade

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dragongit said:
People complain that Blizzard doesn't make any new IPs, but they do experiment from time to time, especially with Overwatch, and beyond that they make sequels. Riot "Game" has one note. MAKE ANOTHER GAME!
They made a cho'gath game .-.
 

Pinky's Brain

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Mar 2, 2011
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Sonicron said:
Playing games is fun. Making games? ... Yeah, that can be fun, too. But that doesn't change the fact that the current industry standard is throwing young devs into a fucking juicer until their best years are behind them and only shredded pulp remains. And awesomely swanky offices like these are really just a distraction from this awful fact.
Worst thing is, they're only doing it for metrics and not because it makes any financial sense. The pool of top coders who are also gullible enough to be exploited isn't huge ... they might retain one for a year out of college but then they lose him again.

They get their money's worth and their money's worth second rate (not to denigrate game developers, I'm not even third rate).
 

viranimus

Thread killer
Nov 20, 2009
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Why do I keep thinking of Grandma's boy? So who is Riot games and what have they produced to have an office better than a garage start up?
 

Ukomba

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Oct 14, 2010
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Picture 2 has a Big Daddy, Little Sister vibe to it. What game is that from?
 

conmag9

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Ukomba said:
Picture 2 has a Big Daddy, Little Sister vibe to it. What game is that from?
That would be Riot's very own League of Legends. Specifically, Annie and her "teddy bear", Tibbers.

I'll be honest, the fact that people are annoyed that they're spending money on a nice building baffles me. They are successful, and if they want to keep and expand their roster of programmers, designers, network devs, etc. they need to make the place appear like a great place to be (as others have said, in no small part to counter the sheer amount of stress big gaming company employees have to deal with). They COULD spend all the money on the game and make them all work in a shoebox, but they would leave and those that didn't leave would be bummed out and wouldn't be working at their best. Or at their mediocre, even.