Riot Games latest to denounce SOPA

League of Legends developer Riot Games said today that it opposes the proposed "Stop Online Piracy Act," adding that while the company is opposed to online piracy, this legislation could pose a huge threat to the games industry and the internet at large. Riot joins Epic Games, Trion Worlds, 38 Studios, and others in a growing pool of game developer speaking out against the contentious bill, which would allow the U.S. government and copyright holders seek court orders to block access to any site accused of hosting copyrighted material. In a post on Riot's official forums, company co-founder and CEO Brandon Beck said that the legislation in its current form "comes at far too high a cost for us, our players, and online communities across the internet." Beck explained that under SOPA's current incarnation, Riot's own League of Legends community could see some very undesirable consequences, noting that the legislation could threaten online video streaming, game content hosted on YouTube and other sites, as well as forums and even in-game chat. Earlier this month, the Entertainment Software Association voiced support for SOPA, saying, "Our industry needs effective remedies to address [illegal piracy], and we support the House and Senate proposals to achieve this objective." Indie developer Nathan Fouts (Weapon of Choice) quickly spoke out against the ESA's decision, fearful that the ESA represents the collective voice of the games industry. Fouts said, "as long as the ESA is still listed [as a supporter], the game industry as a whole is supporting SOPA." Debates over SOPA by the House Judiciary Committee, which could introduce amendments to the bill and eventually vote on its passing, are scheduled to resume when Congress returns from its winter recess on January 17.