Alienware has been in partnership with Riot since early 2019. As a sponsor of multiple League of Legends esport productions, the partnership has been one of mutual benefit. Alienware receives the opportunity to readily show its logo in tandem with the popular League of Legends esports, while Riot Games has help offsetting costs of production. This partnership, set to expire on January 2022, might be closing earlier than expected.
Owned by Dell since 2006, Alienware is a company that has curated its entire image as the best of PC gaming. The partnership with Riot Games puts Alienware precisely where they want to be: in front of gamers. With the popularity of the free-to-play League of Legends, the competitive esport side of the title similarly enjoys a nearly unrivaled fanbase. Yet the partnership shifting from one of merit to possible liability isn't ideal.
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It appears that Alienware is ending its deal with League of Legends esports early based solely on the recent allegations towards the CEO, regarding sexual harassment. The technology company is a global sponsor of multiple leagues within the title, ranging from the World Championship to League of Legends Pro League. The end of the partnership looks to be confirmed from Riot Games removing all Alienware mention from competitive League of Legends matches this past weekend. The partnership began relatively shortly after Kotaku published an exposé regarding Riot Games' toxic workplace culture. Even without the allegations coming to an end result, the history of the company could be its undoing.
On August 7, 2018, Kotaku published an article after months of investigation into the culture of Riot Games, titled "Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games." The article was massive in impact, with Riot immediately pushing to change its image to "encourage diversity" while fighting legal battles in court. Riot stated that it is continuing discussions with Alienware, but has "removed their branding from our broadcasts." Riot Games is publically denying all claims of sexual harassment from its CEO, and the CEO has "pledged his full cooperation and support during this process." The problem, barring however momentarily whether the alleged behavior occurred, is the history of Riot Games and the empirical discernment of the public.
The Kotaku piece is arguably one of the most prolific pieces within the video game industry, acting as a platform for an innumerable number of court cases and follow-up articles. The idea that the behavior could continue after the event would easily frighten away many steadfast supporters of the company. This was also seen during the NEOM play between Saudi Arabia and Riot Games, where the crimes against humanity of Saudi Arabia were so great that it caused Riot Games to back away after facing scathing public criticism. Companies don't want to be caught in bed with an asset-turned-liability, regardless of how much influence it may hold in the industry.
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Sources: Dot Esports, Kotaku