UPDATE: Some of the initial information below about Mo leaving was based off a single Linkedin post and doesn’t tell the full story. We’ll have an update on this soon.
Original article (published June 17th):
There’s been some changes at Riot UK, as one senior member has left and another has taken on a new role.
Long-standing UK community manager John King (aka Riot Bolton, pictured left) has left Riot, while UK head of esports Mo Fadl (right) is staying at Riot Games but also moving to become head of publishing for the Nordics.
Since joining the UK team in late 2017 Mo has spearheaded the Forge of Champions and UK League Championship (UKLC) competitions, as Riot moved away from ESL UK and added LVP UK as production partner for UK League of Legends tournaments.
Riot Bolton has been with Riot for five years, having worked from Dublin and later Riot’s London office. He previously held the title of senior publishing specialist, organising national tournaments for the UK and Ireland like MCM London and 4Nations, which was won by Choke Gaming.
He then became UK community manager, leading adoption of Riot’s streamer support offering, the League Partner Program, as well as managing live events, building relationships with partners and helping with the design and implementation of Forge of Champions and UKLC.
Riot Bolton – who has not yet confirmed his next job – said goodbye on Twitter:
After 5 years, 2 cities, and more amazing experiences than I can count, it’s time for me to go on a new adventure. Friday was my last day in the office at Riot Games. (1/3)
— John King (@MBoltonIII) June 14, 2019
It’s been an amazing journey, and I’ve made friends and learned lessons that will stay with me for life. As for myself, I hope to be able to tell everyone about what’s next sometime soon, but in the meantime I’m gonna take a long break and enjoy the summer weather. (2/3)
— John King (@MBoltonIII) June 14, 2019
Next time anyone is in London, let me know and we can grab a pint! If you ever need to get a hold of me, don’t hesitate to shoot me a DM! (3/3)
— John King (@MBoltonIII) June 14, 2019
With John leaving, Helena Watson and Tom Bramwell will be looking after the UK community and publishing for Riot UK.
Both Mo and John have done a lot for the UK League of Legends scene over the past few years.
You can check out some of our past interviews with Riot Bolton and Mo Fadl here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
