Riot Games is looking to install a bit more control with how it keeps tabs on its content creators. The video game company has updated its terms of service so that going forward, the off-platform conduct of an individual actually applies and may result in a ban if Riot deems it ban-worthy.
Specifically, Riot states: “Our intention with this update is to help protect players from harmful behaviors they can experience across the various places that touch their gaming experience. This update applies very specifically and only to content where Riot’s games are the background of the content produced.”
Admittedly, this does sound like Riot may be looking to ban a creator from League of Legends if they get a DUI charge or something similar, but this is far from the truth. Instead, the idea is to tackle any issues that pop up in streams and such, if a creator uses hate speech or poor conduct but avoids Riot’s justice by not specifically doing so in-game. Riot elaborates:
“As an example, if a creator uses hateful slurs about an opposing player or teammate on their stream, but not in game over chat or voice comms, we can still issue a penalty as if that behavior occurred in-game.”
The updated terms of service also affirms a few additional things, including that stream sniping is not allowed and is a bannable offence, and that boosting and selling accounts is also the same. Any egregious offences could also result in a complete Riot Games account ban, meaning a user won’t be able to access League of Legends, Valorant, TFT, and other games at all, until the suspension is served.
This updated ToS will come into effect from January 3, 2025, to give creators time to adjust their content if needed.