The recent layoffs at Riot Games have affected many official employees from various development departments, as well as freelancers to a certain extent. Today, professional player and observer at official tournaments, Melanie "mel" Hoi-San Man, shared how the layoffs have impacted her position, and the downsides of working as a freelancer.
It's worth noting that about two weeks ago, representatives from Riot Games announced that they were laying off 530 of their employees, which accounts for about 11% of their total workforce. You can read more about this in our article. Following the announcement of the layoffs, the company also stated that all laid-off employees would receive severance pay, but this does not apply to freelancers, which includes Melanie "mel" Hoi-San Man. She previously competed in the professional Valorant scene and served as an observer at official tournaments. However, at that time, she did not have an official contract with the company, which meant she was not affected by the wave of layoffs but lost a promising job opportunity.
I want to point out that I am not among the 11% laid off at Riot. I don't receive severance pay because I am a freelancer. Being a freelancer sucks. Xilv and I were constantly emailing, trying to finalize our contracts for VCT EMEA, but we just didn't manage to complete it in time.
Melanie also mentions that she, along with the Brazilian observer and producer Xilv, had been trying to officially get a job at Riot, but simply ran out of time. The situation is worsened by the fact that several hours ago, they received a message stating that she was not included in the upcoming VCT EMEA plan. This means she will not be acting as an observer at professional tournaments in the European region, and will not be receiving a salary.
For now, it's uncertain what the future holds for Mel, perhaps in the future she will be offered an observer position in the tier-2 league Challengers, or she might be fully laid off. We will continue to follow the official information.
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