The Secret Ingredient to Riot Games’ Success
From the Former President of Worldwide Publishing
Growing a company takes hard work, time, and dedication, but those are not the only keys to success. Without the customer, there would be no company.
When looking at what makes some of the most successful companies thrive, they all have one thing in common — a laser focus on the end-user. Similar to other major companies like Amazon, Apple, and Starbucks, Riot Games prioritized the customer from the beginning and continues to do so. Customers are Riot Games’ primary focus and, in turn, something that I believe led to the growth and success of the company. There are several ways in which Riot focused on the customers.
As simple as it sounds, one of the main reasons behind Riot’s growth was the focus placed on long-term relationships with the players. Riot Games did not just plan for the immediate future. Riot wanted to build a large and loyal community of fans that could continue to experience the game for decades rather than a few months. For example, take League of Legends. Riot kept on building new content and the universe for the past 11 years. As a result, Riot constantly invests in the game and makes it better instead of moving on to the next big project.
Another significant effort was to build a company culture that emphasizes the customer and their experience. When joining Riot, all the Rioters are always asked to put players at the top. A question the team constantly asked ourselves when making both large and small decisions was “is this player-focused?” rather than focusing on the potential revenue. Of course, revenue is important, but the team knew that everything else would work out if we did the right thing for the customers.
In addition, the team looked at the customer experience holistically. It was not enough to create an awesome game. Riot wanted to make sure that everything the player touches, feels or hears from the beginning to the end was an excellent experience. That meant ensuring the experience with Riot, from the time the players logged onto the launcher, to purchasing items, viewing esports, and communicating with Rioters on the forums, was engaging. It is about the whole experience, not just the game.
Although each notable company referenced above has a different purpose, we see a similar focus on the customer and their experience when establishing brand loyalty. For example, Amazon continuously innovates its technologies and processes to improve the customer experience — super fast shipping, customer reviews, and quick search functionality. One of Apple’s many strategies for enhancing its customer experience is the use of personalization. Though not a technology-oriented company, a significant factor in Starbucks’ growth is their understanding of the customer experience by creating a consistent atmosphere across their global shops.
Riot prioritizes the consumer experience by building the company culture around the players’ needs.
Like other successful companies, Riot Games emphasizes the essential part of any business regardless of the industry: the customers. Listening to the players, building an ecosystem that is constantly evolving, and creating new and seamless experiences the consumer controls is part of what makes Riot Games the company and culture it is today.
