Riot Games denies having a social media policy that prevents workers from sharing bikini pictures on their personal accounts. This comes as several women at Riot claim that they were reprimanded for sharing pictures of themselves in swimwear, accusing the company of upholding sexist double standards.
However, despite the number of workers speaking out, a spokesperson for Riot Games tells TheGamer that there "isn't a rule like this" at the company. They add that Riot will be "follow[ing] up with everyone who made a claim about this", so the studio can "clarify its policies".
In an email to TheGamer, a representative from Riot detailed its social media and dress code policies, claiming that a female employee posting a bikini pic would not be in breach of these rules.
"To be 100 percent clear, there is no policy against bikini pictures or anything like that", Riot says "If Rioters [workers] raise concerns about content they see on social media from other Rioters, we may take action if it’s in violation of our policies or against our values in order to keep Riot’s workplace safe and inclusive".
They add that they recognize some complaints may be made in "bad faith", and do not act on all of them.
"The idea that we're actively policing this or that this is a widespread thing is ridiculous", the spokesperson continues. "In my four years here I've never had a conversation about a bikini picture. There are nearly 4,000 Rioters and we have one of the loosest social media policies of any company I know of. I'm sure you could find hundreds of pictures of Rioters of all genders in all sorts of beachwear on social media."
Riot devs who made the initial allegations also said that male employees would wear graphic tees featuring women in bikinis around the office. The spokesperson says this would be a breach of company policy, and has reached out to those who have made this complaint.