Riot Games opens Philippine office as part of regional expansion

The Philippines has always been on top when it comes to declaring love for video games. From desktop titles to mobile multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), it can never be denied that this country deserves a greater amount of recognition it gets not just from Asia, but the whole world. 

Last week, the country got what some may feel that it deserved all along after Riot Games announced its plans to expand its offices to the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, with the Philippines among the top choices to add to their existing Japan and Singapore headquarters (HQ). 

Riot Games, who is responsible for bringing MOBA game League of Legends (LOL) and first-person shooter Valorant to life, said this move aims to bring the company closer to their gamers and will focus on hyper-localization. (Read: Riot’s “Project L” is an assist-based League of Legends fighting game similar to Marvel vs. Capcom)

In a press release, the West Los Angeles-based developer revealed that aside from the Philippines, they also plan to set up offices in India, Indonesia/Malaysia, and Thailand; citing this as their efforts to repay the Southeast Asia (SEA) region for their critical role in the company’s success. 

“Since re-establishing its Singapore HQ for Southeast Asia in 2018, Riot has significantly grown its workforce and is now doubling down on publishing in the region,” the statement said. 

Furthermore, Riot’s SEA and Taiwan general manager (GM) Justin Hulog highlighted in a separate press conference the region’s notable impact on the success of their latest releases such as the mobile version of LOL, Wild Rift, which became a hit after its release in 2020.

“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,” he said.

According to the company’s APAC managing director Alex Kraynov, such a move by the gaming tycoon was primarily brought forth by their recognition of the potential APAC possesses to become a strong gaming district. 

“This is a natural step in progression for our publishing business in Southeast Asia, and Riot recognizes that APAC has the potential to become the biggest region in the world for Riot,” said Kraynov, who was the company’s previous Managing Director for Emerging Markets. “This region is intricately diverse, with massive gaming communities that have diverse needs and a strong appetite for mobile gaming,” he added. 

With the reorganization, Riot said it will also diversify its operations, putting its publishing department at the forefront alongside other departments such as Games, Entertainment, Esports, and Enterprise. 

Appointing Joel Guzman as the Country Manager for the Philippines was all Riot could spill for now, but they also revealed that the Philippine office will be inaugurated “within a few months.” This is actually not the first time that Riot gave recognition to the Philippines. In fact, earlier this year, the developer introduced Neon, a Filipino character in their hit game Valorant.

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