Riot Games Gears Up To Return To The Office Without Vaccine Or Mask Requirements
Can Riot really ensure their employees' safety?
For the past two years companies across the world have been transitioning to remote work, leaving a difficult decision hanging over everyone’s head on when to return to the office.
Riot Games recently made the decision and is asking employees at its Los Angeles headquarters to return to the office, without requiring masks or COVID-19 vaccines.
Recently, Riot Games Chief Security Officer Christopher Hymes sent a Slack message to employees who work out of the Los Angeles, California office, announcing that Riot was dropping office mask mandates to its existing COVID-19 policy and would no longer require testing for employees even if they have not provided proof of vaccination.
Riot Games continues to state how it is operating exactly as the local government in Los Angeles is expecting it to, and is even providing additional safety measures like hiring an outside janitorial team that provides COVID-19-specific cleaning protocols, a MERV rated air filtration system, and free N95 masks to those who want them. However, adding extra safety measures while eliminating the ones that seem to be the most imperative to keeping employees safe—such as mandated masks and continued COVID-19 test monitoring—seem to be a bit counterintuitive, and some employees are deciding to walk away from their jobs for that very reason.
“While we hate to lose valuable team members, we’ve always expected that some Rioters would choose to leave because they wanted to work remotely on a permanent basis,” a Riot spokesperson said.
While Riot Games has dropped masks, testing, and vaccination requirements, office workers will be required to carry around an RFID tag. While it seems like a good idea, this tag really only works if the employees are being vigilant in their self-reporting.
If you would like to read more on the precautions that Riot games is planning to take or more employee testimonies, head over to Vice’s site for the full article.
Related Articles
About the Author

Aspen is an avid gamer and Twitch streamer currently residing in Japan. She is most attracted to games narrative design and is a huge fan of player choice in games. If Aspen is not playing games, she is most certainly writing about them.
Read Next
Magic The Gathering Arena Reveals New Art Deco-Style Cards
It's the 1920's feel you never knew you needed.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 1 year agoYou May Enjoy
Mists Of Pandaria Composer Russell Brower To Score Tarisland Soundtrack
The award-winning composer will be “featured prominently”.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 4 days agoBloodhunt Introduces Infinite Battle Pass, PS5 Founder's Edition, And Team Deathmatch Adjustments
All was covered in the third edition of the community newsletter.
By Matthew D'Onofrio - 5 days agoEternal Tombs, The MMORPG Run By Live Gamemasters, Releases Gameplay Walkthrough And Demo
They're trying to create something truly unique in the MMORPG genre.
By Troy Blackburn - 1 day agoEmbracer Group Addresses Financial Challenges With Three-Step Plan That Will Entail "Difficult Decisions" (AKA: Probably Layoffs)
Embracer Group is confident it will achieve its goals by the end of the fiscal year.
By Matthew D'Onofrio - 6 days agoFTC Renews Challenge Of Microsoft's $69 Billion Purchase Of Activision Blizzard
Here we go again.
By Troy Blackburn - 3 days agoBitCraft Has A Shiny New Trailer Showcasing The World And Music Of The Sandbox MMORPG
Alpha testing has also been confirmed for early 2024.
By Troy Blackburn - 2 days ago
Discussion (1)