Riot Games is implementing significant modifications to its terms of service, allowing them to penalize creators for misconduct that breaches their codes of conduct, even when these creators are not actively playing the game. These changes are expected to take effect on January 3, 2025.
In a recent blog post, the developer behind League of Legends revealed that many of the updates will address behavior occurring off-platform that can still negatively affect the Riot Games community. If a creator engages in inappropriate actions in environments that can impact player experience, they could incur in-game penalties. While Riot stated it wouldn’t actively monitor social media, it will respond to reports of misconduct brought to their attention.
The types of actions that could fall under this new policy will vary based on the creator’s location. Violations may include illegal activities, harassment of Riot employees, abusive or discriminatory language, chat spamming, cheating, and various other behaviors outlined in Riot’s code of conduct.
According to the post, “In short, if you engage in behavior that violates our terms of service while streaming or creating content based on our games, we reserve the right to limit access to your Riot accounts and suspend any associated partner privileges.”
Furthermore, Riot Games has provided guidance regarding promotional activities that could potentially breach its terms. For example, if a creator sells game accounts or teaches cheating methods, they could face repercussions from Riot, even if they are sponsored by an external entity. New policies also address stream sniping, which involves a player watching a competitor’s stream, detailing what actions Riot may take if such conduct is reported.
“In cases of particularly severe violations, we are now implementing Riot-wide bans as part of our penalty system,” they noted.
Games such as League of Legends and Valorant have dealt with toxic player communities for an extended period, a common issue among popular competitive games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This year, development teams have taken steps to address these issues. For instance, the Valorant team recently introduced a new esports code of conduct. Studio head Anna Donlon announced stricter penalties for offending players and enhanced moderation efforts.
“Competitive games should allow for some playful banter. We stand by this, but I understand the concern that we may over-correct and diminish the gaming experience,” she stated in a video. “However, we believe that players should not have to tolerate harmful speech disguised as typical trash talk. If you feel the need to make genuinely hurtful comments to enjoy gaming, perhaps it’s time to consider different games.”
