An initial seven new jobs are to be created at Riot Games, the Californian games developer behind the popular League of Legends video game.
The company plans to grow the office with high-skilled positions as it increases its European presence over the next three years.
IDA Ireland worked closely with Riot Games to attract this investment to Ireland and is assisting the company with the establishment of the operation.
Riot Games, headquartered in Los Angeles, was established in 2006 and has quickly become a leading global developer and publisher of premium free-to-play online video games targeted at hardcore gamers.
The new Irish centre will support the European operations for its initial game League of Legends. Since its North American and European launch in October 2009, more than 2 million gamers have logged on to play the game, logging more than 15 million hours of playtime each month.
The company is currently looking to fill several positions at the new HQ.
“Recently named one of the top 30 game developers in the world, Riot is a welcome addition to Ireland’s vibrant digital media portfolio,” IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O’Leary said.
“Many of the world’s international gaming companies have already recognised the benefits of locating strategically important operations in Ireland and today’s announcement is further evidence that Ireland continues to be a major player in winning investment from highly innovative gaming companies.
“Riot Games is an excellent example of the type of high-growth technology company which IDA targeted under our Horizon 2020 strategy. There are now more than 1,500 people employed in the computer games industry in Ireland, a five-fold increase since 2002. Today’s announcement reinforces Ireland’s reputation as a leading location for digital media companies,” O’Leary said.
The story of Riot Games
Riot Games is a direct-to-consumer video-game developer and publisher of premium, competitive online games. Riot Games, based in Los Angeles, is funded through venture capital firms Benchmark Capital and Firstmark Capital and China’s largest online services corporation, Tencent.
The company was established in 2006 and has quickly become a leading global developer and publisher of premium free-to-play online video games for hardcore gamers, launching their debut title, League of Legends, in October 2009.
“When making the decision on where to locate our European headquarters, we were attracted to Ireland by its reputation as an emerging hub for online game servicing.
“We’re aware of the success that other gaming companies have had in Ireland and of the highly creative, talented workforce available here. League of Legends has been successfully received in Europe, and our EMEA headquarters will allow us to enhance our levels of service to this rapidly growing base of customers. We look forward to counting Dublin as an important hub for our European presence.”
