Normally we start these with an uplifting statement about the impact we’ve had last year and an update on our progress so far—don’t worry, we’ll get to that—but first I wanted to say thank you. Thank you to the players, partners, Rioters, and communities. Our Social Impact initiatives would never have achieved the success they did in 2020 without your support, and I’m proud to have been a part of it. What you've accomplished in the face of a global pandemic has left me awed, inspired, and hopeful. It’s really amazing seeing what we can accomplish when we work together to help one another.

We’ll collectively remember 2020 for many reasons, but the one that stands out to me is how so many strangers, organizations, and communities came together to address a litany of emergencies that came in rapid succession. It’s in times like these that our commitment to our values help center and guide us to make it better to be a player, both in and out of the game. 

2020 highlights:

  • Players raised over $14 million dollars for impactful nonprofits through our Dawnbringer Karma, COVID Support Bundle, and Elderwood Ornn fundraisers
  • Over 7 million players across the world voted to support over 46 local nonprofits in our Dawnbringer Karma campaign
  • Pro players shared tips and stories about maintaining a healthy mindset, and we partnered with Crisis Text Line to provide players with free, confidential mental health crisis support
  • Rioters continued to support local nonprofits throughout the year, with Riot matching more than $220,000 in individual donations for a total of nearly $500,000 in donations
  • Pledged $1,000,000 invest in minority-owned small businesses, create opportunities for underrepresented groups, address biases and discrimination in the workforce, and support justice reform
  • Even though we were all working from home, we continued to pay our support staff (including security, facilities, and our contingent workforce) their full salaries throughout the pandemic


While we continue to focus on our key pillars of Education, Opportunity, and Citizenship, we believe that our journey together is just beginning. We have a lot of exciting plans and initiatives underway for 2021 that I can’t wait to share more about throughout the year.

View the Year in Review
Author

Jeffrey "Kushnood" Burrell

Jeffrey Burrell is the Head of Social Impact and Executive Director of the Riot Games Social Impact Fund. He oversees all social impact and sustainability efforts which include in-game fundraisers across Riot’s five titles, the disbursement of funds and grants given out globally by the Social Impact Fund, internal employee fundraising and volunteer efforts. Jeffrey received an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.