Riot Games has announced today that its Co-Founder and former Co-CEO Marc Merrill will oversee the ecosystems of all products at Riot Games in a newly established role.
The developer and publisher known for games like League of Legends and Valorant has appointed Marc into the role of Chief Product Officer (CPO).
As CPO, Marc will ‘lead the vision for the ecosystems surrounding each game while helping solidify the future paths’ of League, Valorant, Teamfight Tactics, Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra, and Research and Development (R&D) at Riot.
Reporting to CEO Dylan Jadeja, he will once again be responsible for aligning the broader product strategy and ensuring that gameplay, esports and entertainment experiences across all titles are aligned ‘to drive the most impactful and resonant outcomes for players’.
The new role will aim to fortify Riot’s product strategy for the future, after an expansion of products at Riot over the last five years, with the launch of games in the shooter and strategy genres, expansion into mobile, as well as the Emmy Award-winning animated series Arcane.
Marc Merrill said:
“I’m excited by the opportunity to help Riot deliver really special experiences to players. In a world full of amazing entertainment options, players want games that are truly great, and that’s what we aspire to create.”
Marc Merrill, Riot Games
Riot said in a press release: “Marc’s experience and player-first philosophy position him uniquely to help steer Riot’s audience orientation, ensuring the authenticity of the narrative and player-focused gameplay across all titles and products continue to evolve, engaging players in novel and rewarding ways.”
“In this next chapter for Riot, our goal is to double-down on our mission for players and to continue our evolution from delivering games as a service to bringing games as an experience to players,” added Jadeja.
“Marc is incredibly well suited to drive this improved orientation and focus on behalf of players. He helped build this place from the ground up, and he’s been hands-on in making our mission a reality for years. He cares deeply about who we are and what we mean to players and has a nuanced understanding of what resonates across our products.
“Most importantly, Marc shares our strategic vision to unify games, esports, and entertainment into an experience for players that transcends the sum of their parts. We wouldn’t be the Company we are today without his leadership, and I am honored and excited to have him step into this critical role.”
The news comes one day after Riot announced the revamped Riot Games Arena in Berlin, Germany.
Marc Merrill’s background
Before being named CPO, Marc Merrill was most recently the President of the Games Pillar at Riot, where he worked closely with game leaders on the overall strategy behind Riot’s games portfolio.
Since co-founding Riot in 2006, Marc has had a variety of leadership roles, including as Riot’s first President and first Executive Producer of League of Legends and subsequently became Co-CEO. He helped with the formation of Riot’s esports and entertainment efforts and today is Co-Chairman of Riot’s Board, alongside fellow co-founder Brandon Beck.
A native of Los Angeles, Marc Merrill helped with the foundation of Riot and League of Legends, and has served as an executive producer on Arcane, as well as sitting on the boards of several non-profits including being the Co-Chair of Unite America, and worked with SoLa Impact to fund the buildout and operation of SoLa’s Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, aimed at inspiring the next generation of black and brown game developers, esports athletes, technology professionals, leaders, and entrepreneurs – free to South LA residents.
Marc and his wife, Ashley, have been married for 14 years and have two children.
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.
