Riot Games cofounder and former co-CEO Marc Merrill is stepping into the newly established role of Riot’s Chief Product Officer. As CPO, Merrill will oversee and lead the visions for the ecosystems of all of Riot’s games.
Merrill will report to Dylan Jadeja, CEO of Riot Games. Jadeja took over for former CEO Nicolo Laurent in May 2023.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to help Riot deliver really special experiences to players,” stated Merrill. “In a world full of amazing entertainment options, players want games that are truly great, and that’s what we aspire to create.”
Over the last several years, Riot has expanded beyond far beyond League of Legends. The developer launched four new flagship games — Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra and Wild Rift — alongside smaller titles via Riot Forge. Additionally, Riot has made strides with television products including its Emmy Award winning series Arcane.
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Merrill will once again be responsible for aligning the broader product strategy across these games and future Riot projects. This includes oversight on gameplay, esports and entertainment experiences.
“In this next chapter for Riot, our goal is to double-down on our mission for players and to continue our evolution from delivering games as a service to bringing games as an experience to players,” said Jadeja. “Marc is incredibly well suited to drive this improved orientation and focus on behalf of players. He helped build this place from the ground up, and he’s been hands-on in making our mission a reality for years. He cares deeply about who we are and what we mean to players and has a nuanced understanding of what resonates across our products. Most importantly, Marc shares our strategic vision to unify games, esports, and entertainment into an experience for players that transcends the sum of their parts. We wouldn’t be the Company we are today without his leadership, and I am honored and excited to have him step into this critical role.”
Marc Merrill’s tenure at Riot
Since cofounding Riot in 2006, Merrill held a number of leadership roles at the company. He was Riot’s first President and executive producer of League of Legends. Subsequently, Merrill served as co-CEO alongside cofounder Brandon Beck. Throughout his tenure, Merrill played a key role in Riot’s esports and entertainment initiatives. Most recently, Merrill was the President of the Games Pillar at Riot. In this role, he worked closely with game leaders on the overall strategy behind Riot’s games portfolio.
Merrill will continue to serve as co-chairman of Riot’s Board alongside Beck.
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