Riot Games releases new Esports Global Code of Conduct

As the 2023 esports season is coming to an end, Riot Games has officially introduced a new Code of Conduct that will be applied starting next year.

New Esports Global Code of Conduct – unifying all esports environments

The new code, also called the Esports Global Code of Conduct, will be applied to all professional and semi-professional esports players, coaches, team owners, representatives, and any other esports professional registered with Riot or any of the Riot Games esports competitions.

The goal of these new regulations is to “foster a safe and trustworthy esports environment and to codify the existing rules and practices designed to protect esports players, teams, fans, and the broader Riot esports community.” According to Riot, the universal code is mostly consistent with the previous principles but it has been redrafted in a way to improve its clarity and transparency.

The document includes regulations on deliberate underperformance, participation, harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, abuse, threats, bribery, match-fixing or manipulation, gambling, retaliation, and more. In particular, there is a participation commitment stating that individuals cannot withdraw or decline participation “without the approval of a tournament official”, which is something that happened this year with the LCS Walkout.

In the past, rules used to differ from title to title and tournament to tournament, which led to Riot looking to streamline the regulations in 2022. With the goal of creating a cohesive code, they involved stakeholders from competitive regions to work on the new drafting, implementing it across all esports titles and eliminating any incongruences that might exist from one game title to another.

“The new Esports Global Code of Conduct serves as Riot’s commitment to preserving our “Player First” value integral to competitive gaming. Through consolidating rules and enhancing standards, we aim to foster an esports environment that prioritizes integrity and inclusivity for every individual involved.”

It also laid restrictions on Fantasy Esports, as professionals cannot be offered “real-world rewards” based on performance by esports participants and they are prohibited from owning entities engaging in those contests.

The new updates will come into effect immediately at the start of the 2024 season, on January 1. If you want to know all the details, here’s the Esports Global Code of Conduct released by Riot.

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