Riot Games has been growing lately, largely due to it finally living up to the “games” part of its title. The company’s new titleValorantis already on Act 3and continues to grow.
That said, Riot has been struggling in some areas. Like many companies, COVID-19 has played a certain part, but it’s not just that. Riot’s main source of income has always beenLeague of Legends, and while the game is still popular, it’s not as popular as it once was. This is why the decision to expand into new games is smart, and it’s obvious Riot’s new ventures have staying power. But to get them into players' hands, Riot needs some better advertising, which is why it has hired Jason Bunge.
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Riot hired on Jason Bunge to be its new Chief Marketing Officer, reporting directly to its head of publishing Jin Oh. Bunge will be in charge of expanding Riot’s current publishing capacity, essentially making sure new content reaches players' ears. His role is to help games both old and new from the company hit the ground running with new content. The more players are engaged this way, the more will hopefully play Riot’s games for longer. Considering many players found thelore of League of Legends' most recent character lacking, it’s probably a good time for a shakeup in marketing.
Bunge already has a proven track record when it comes to marketing. His most recent job in the game industry was handling Electronic Arts' game portfolio, and he was also in charge of launchingApex Legends. Considering how wellApex Legendsis still doing, it’s safe to say he did the job well. Hopefully he can keep that level of engagement going for Riot, perhaps innovating on things likehowValorant’s lore is communicated, or thinking up new ways to draw players toLeague of Legends.
If Bunge manages to draw in new players, it could be huge for Riot.Legends of Runeterrais starting its seasonal tournamentsand could really use a big playerbase and streaming audience to show it off. The game has the potential to become huge in the virtual card game scene, provided it gets some marketing love.
Riot definitely needs a player base increase at this point if it hopes to stay relevant. Having more games is good, but it will take a lot to matchLeague of Legends' hey day. Hopefully this means thatRiot closing its Australian office and Oceanic Leaguewill be the last major blow to the company and players for a while.
