Avantages
[+] Good culture - everyone knows Riot's values internally and lives by them. This company is truly dedicated to the player experience. You won't see any cheesy inspirational posters on the wall. [+] High quality game design - there are some games out there that don't offer players much of value, and that limit player progress unless the player forks out cash. Riot's business model is more player friendly, and more sustainable for both company and player. This model is fairly unique and is the real secret to the company's success because it aligns company and player interests. [+] Excellent team – Riot has done a very good job hiring excellent people. From new college grads to experienced industry vets, this is the most capable, positive, and high-performing team I’ve had the pleasure to work with in my years of work experience. [+] Spotless ethics – this company conducts business cleanly and fairly. You’ll feel this when interacting with peers internally (there’s no backstabbing and people uphold the ideals of sportsmanship) and externally. Riot only works with vendors and partners who can truly improve the player experience. [+] Fun environment – As a result of Riot’s full-time focus on creating fun for players, we try to make sure that fun’s part of the daily work environment. [+] Mission-driven - At Riot, games are srs business. It’s never “just a game” to us because we think that entertainment and playfulness are a core human need, coming in right after those other Maslovian essentials like food, shelter, and sexy time. This is a company of people dedicated to serving that need.
Inconvénients
[-] Weakened culture screening – as a result of the company’s growth, there’s been some controversial weakening of hiring standards. It’s really hard for example to find core gamers who are also really great at <insert esoteric professional skill>, so the company has had to loosen some of its standards with regards to hiring people who genuinely love games and can be termed core gamers. These hires may assimilate just fine. Or they may go on to hire additional people who don’t game, thus sending us down the long, slippery slope towards becoming another <insert game company full of people who don’t play or care about games >. [-] Immature internal infrastructure – There are about three times as many Rioters today as there were two years ago. Many internal systems are still those of a much smaller company and are groaning under the load. From the “emailpocalypse” of 2012 when many emails were lost to the fact that there’s no longer a room that fits everybody for our “all hands” meetings, this is a company that needs to trade up to big boy underpants. [-] Management upgrades incomplete – The exec team is struggling to build a layer of trusted and strategically aligned managers that they can rely on to act in a way that’s consistent with their vision. This means that they occasionally micromanage, “swoop-and-poop” and display other behaviors that don’t happen in mature organizations where mid-level management is trusted, aligned, and held accountable. I’m confident this situation is evolving in the right direction, but it’s currently not where it needs to be. [-] Hot, flat, and crowded – the current offices are increasingly less hospitable to getting work done because we’ve outgrown our current space and are jamming people into an office that was never designed for this sort of seating density. It’s like Lord of the Flies if you want a conference room and headphones (free from IT of course) are a must if you want to actually focus on your own work for a beat.