Riot Games to open PH office as part of Asia expansion efforts

Angela Coloma, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Feb 24 2022 03:26 PM | Updated as of Feb 24 2022 09:43 PM

 Riot Games will be setting up an office in the Philippines within a few months. Courtesy: Riot Games
Riot Games will be setting up an office in the Philippines within a few months. Courtesy: Riot Games

MANILA - Global gaming company Riot Games plans to set up localized offices in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, as it seeks to expand its market in the region. 

Riot Games, known for titles such as League of Legends and Valorant, said this was to bring the company closer to the gamers. 

In a virtual press conference, Shinji Komiyama, head of country operations of Riot Games - Asia Pacific, said they are working to set this up "in a few months." 

Joel Guzman will head Riot Games operations in the Philippines as its country manager. 

Aside from the Philippines and the existing offices in Japan and in Singapore, Riot Games will also set up offices in India, Indonesia/Malaysia and Thailand.

In a statement, Alec Kraynov, managing director of Riot Games in the region, said that because of the area's diversity, Southeast Asia has the potential to become the biggest region in the world for the game developer. 

"This region is intricately diverse, with massive gaming communities that have diverse needs and a strong appetite for mobile gaming," he said in a separate press release. 

Justin Hulog, general manager of Riot Games SEA and Taiwan, said the region played a critical role in their roadmap to expand their services. 

"Asia and particularly Southeast Asia has played such a critical role in terms of how we think about growth and our players in the region," Hulog told reporters. 

He cited the Philippines' and the sub-region's impact in the development of League of Legends: Wild Rift, the mobile version of the hit game released in 2020, and the release of Valorant character Neon early this year. 

Aside from mounting tournaments for Valorant and League of Legends: Wild Rift, Riot Games expanded its services to music and film, with the virtual K-pop girl group K/DA and the hit Netflix series "Arcane."