Riot Games, the developer and publisher known for League of Legends (League) and VALORANT, announced today that Riot’s Co-Founder and former Co-CEO, Marc Merrill, will oversee the ecosystems of all products at Riot Games in the newly established 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.
“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,” said 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 new role will 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’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.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to help Riot deliver really special experiences to players,” stated Merrill. “In a world full of amazing entertainment options, players want games that are truly great, and that’s what we aspire to create.”
Before being named CPO, Marc 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 played a variety of critical leadership roles, including as Riot’s first President and first Executive Producer of League of Legends and subsequently became Co-CEO. He was instrumental in 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 has not only been instrumental in the foundation of Riot and League of Legends, he also has served as an executive producer on Arcane, sits 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—all free of charge to South LA residents. Marc and his wife, Ashley, have been married for 14 years and have two children.
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Related: Riot Games Launches RiotX Arcane Event Celebrating First Animated Series, Arcane League of Legends
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