Riot pledges $10 million to create pathways for minority-led studios

League of Legends developer Riot Games will funnel $10 million towards investments and startup programs focused on creating pathways for minority-led game studios and startups. 

In a letter from Riot president Dylan Jadeja, the company said it hoped the new funding initiative would help create more opportunities for founders who might otherwise have been shut out of the industry. 

The move comes as companies from around the games industry have been showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and Black game devs following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

"We have a platform at Riot Games not only to contribute to great causes, but to create great opportunities; opportunities that can truly change lives. This includes providing needed access to capital and resources as economic growth can be a powerful equalizer," wrote Jadeja.

"We are proud of our history of working with founders from a variety of backgrounds and will continue to do so with a new program aimed at deploying $10 million towards investments and startup programs focused on founders underrepresented in the games community."

The company will also be donating $1 million to charities like The Innocence Project and the American Civil Liberties Union through its Social Impact Fund, and has plans to launch a $50,000 scholarship through the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund to support black students who're interested in game development. 

You can hear more about Riot's plans and pledges over by reading the full letter here.