LogInHowever, there are mixed feelings in the community.
Riot Games, the renowned developer behind popular games like League of Legends and Valorant, has announced the appointment of Hoby Darling as its new president.
The press release has shown the career background of the new executive. With past experience in the intersection of sports, tech, and creative culture, he has taken senior leadership roles at various companies, including Logitech, Skullcandy/Astro Gaming, Nike, and Volcom.
"The first time I walked into Riot, I felt a scrappy, soulful, and courageous energy I knew I needed to be a part of," wrote Darling. After joining, his main responsibility is to "oversee teams at Riot working to make it the best place to make Games." On LinkedIn, he shared some highlights about this new journey, with one of them being the mission to "Serve the Player, with heart and soul."
However, the gaming community has mixed reactions regarding this new leader. In the League of Legends subreddit, players have expressed concerns about whether Darling is the proper choice. "A guy from Nike, Skullcandy, and Logitech doesn't read to me as the less "corporate business guy" shift that we needed to avoid the short term profit driven issues we've been running into in the last year or two," the top comment said.
Despite players' concerns, Dylan Jadeja, the CEO of Riot Games, who took over from Nicolo Laurent in May 2023 after he stepped down, remains optimistic. "He knows how to bring out the best in teams, and he’ll help Rioters tap into their creativity, sharpen their focus, and channel their competitive fire."
Don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.