Riot Games, backed by Chinese conglomerate Tencent is going full Big Brother on content creators, dishing out bans for misconduct even if it happens outside Valorant or League of Legends. Got a “problematic” take on a stream that has nothing to do with their games? Doesn’t matter. Riot’s coming for you.
While the West hasn’t completely turned dystopian yet with digital IDs and central bank digital currencies, Riot’s out here taking notes from its CCP overlords. They’re clamping down on “hateful conduct” and penalizing players for bad behavior during streams, even when they’re not playing Riot games.
The new clause buried in Riot’s Privacy Notice and TOS says players can get slapped with penalties, suspensions, or even “Riot-wide bans” for any “unbecoming behavior” tied to their gaming experience. Creators have until January 3, 2025, to clean up their act or risk losing access to Riot’s games entirely.
The new clauses were introduced in Riot’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Service on Tuesday. Creators have until January 3, 2025, to “adjust their content to adhere to these rules,” according to Riot’s announcement. The “Off-Platform Conduct” rule grants Riot the authority to impose penalties for hateful content when such behavior is reported to them.
Riot clarified that it will not proactively monitor social media for violations. Instead, players can report instances where an offending player’s conduct occurs during a livestream, provided one of Riot’s games serves as “the background of the content produced.” If Riot determines that the behavior violates its Terms of Service, the company may issue penalties “as if that behavior occurred in-game,” according to the updated rules.
Back in June, Riot Games announced plans to combat hate speech and targeted harassment by implementing HWID bans in Valorant as a way to address toxicity. This move followed viral incidents where female streamers and players deliberately provoked arguments with other players, unmuting them for “content.”
When the antagonized male players responded with insults, the narrative on social media quickly shifted to focus on violence against women in gaming, prompting Riot Games to take drastic action.
Now, Riot Games has expanded its authority to ban users not only for actions taken within their games or services but also for off-platform misconduct. This means that reports from third parties or “concerned citizens” can lead to bans, even if the alleged wrongdoing occurred outside Riot’s ecosystem.
The updated TOS also introduces penalties for “stream sniping,” where players or streamers disrupt another person’s online sessions. Riot is currently testing this penalty system with a limited number of English-speaking Valorant creators.
Repeat offenders risk full account bans across all Riot titles. The new TOS states that penalties may be issued for “seriously egregious violations” or “problematic behavior,” with a focus on behaviors that Riot considers harmful.
Given the precedent set by platforms like XBOX, which prioritize punishing hate speech over cheating, it’s clear what type of behavior Riot intends to target. Riot Games is adopting authoritarian practices reminiscent of its parent company Tencent, drawing comparisons to policies of the CCP in global gaming scene.
Competitive gaming has always been a breeding ground for players to vent their frustrations, often at the expense of others. In response, developers have taken increasingly invasive measures to target and punish players for such behavior, including monitoring in-game text and voice chat for offensive language.
Activision, for example, uses an AI system developed in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to detect and ban users in Call of Duty. Similarly, EA has faced criticism for uneven enforcement, with non-English-speaking players disproportionately penalized when words in their native language resemble English slurs. Riot Games, however, is taking things a step further.
By banning streamers and players for alleged misconduct or controversial behavior outside their own games, provided there’s enough evidence this Chinese-owned studio is solidifying its position as one of the most “woke” developers in the industry.
