Riot Games and its co-founders Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill donated over $1 million to aid coronavirus relief efforts, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a press conference Tuesday.
“We are blessed here in L.A. to have industries that not only fuel our city but our country and our world’s economy. Gaming is one of those industries and one of the leaders in that space is Riot Games,” said Garcetti. “They’re based right here in our city, and today that company and its founders are donating more than $800,000 to local nonprofits including $200,000 to the Mayor’s Fund to support whatever is needed for COVID-19 relief.”
Riot clarified the amount is actually $1.5 million and that the donations are being made by both the company and its individual founders. Riot will donate $500,000 while Merrill and Beck are each donating $500,000. Of that, $400,000 will go to the Los Angeles Food Bank, which Riot has worked with on previous fundraisers. Another $200,000 goes to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, which helps supplement costs of health care, childcare, senior meals, and grants to low-income or unemployed residents in need. The remaining funds will be given to Los Angeles-area nonprofits.
Garcetti added that Riot told him the company would continue to keep its janitorial, facilities, and food workforce on full-time payroll as the rest of its staff works from home. “Knowing this is a moment of strain for working families across our region, Riot Games is committed to doing right by its workforce,” Garcetti said.
Riot Games will also aid the city in finding medical gear, Garcetti said. “On top of that financial contribution, Riot Games is working to secure critical personal equipment for LA’s hospitals, like much-needed masks to protect our front-line doctors and nurses,” the mayor noted during the press conference.
“Los Angeles has always been Riot’s home and Angelenos are an irreplaceable part of our success (and) we’re proud to be able to give back to our community in this difficult time,” Riot Games said in a statement. “As a global company, we will also continue to evaluate how we can help battle this crisis on a global scale.”