Executive at League of Legends creator resigns over George Floyd post
A top executive at the games giant behind the successful online multiplayer League of Legends has stepped down over a Facebook post he wrote about the death of George Floyd.
Ron Johnson, who was global head of consumer products at Riot Games, posted a meme which featured the criminal history of Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.
“This is no reason to condone his killing by the officer at all, which still needs to be investigated as a potential crime,” Johnson wrote in the post. “It is a learning opportunity for people (and your kids) to teach that this type of criminal lifestyle never results in good things happening to you or those around you.”
In a statement to the media Riot Games said it found the content of Johnson’s post “abhorrent”, adding that it “runs directly counter to our values and our belief that addressing systemic racism requires immediate societal change”.
The Californian firm, which also created the first-person shooter game Valorant, had earlier this week committed $1m to finding long-term solutions to the issue of racism and $10m in investments in underrepresented founders.
Johnson’s post also alleged Floyd was under the influence of methamphetmines at the time of his arrest, and was “getting ready to drive a car and possibly kill your kid”.
Floyd’s death has sparked protests across the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, while the police officer responsible for his killing has been charged with second-degree murder.
Protests are set to continue this weekend in London despite organisers attempting to delay the event due to receiving threats from far-right groups.
Riot Games is understood to have placed Johnson on leave on Wednesday while it conducted an investigation, before allowing him to resign last night.