Owned by Dell since 2006,Alienwareis a company that has curated its entire image as the best of PC gaming. The partnership with Riot Games puts Alienware precisely where they want to be: in front of gamers. With the popularity of the free-to-playLeague of Legends, the competitive esport side of the title similarly enjoys a nearly unrivaled fanbase. Yet the partnership shifting from one of merit to possible liability isn’t ideal.
RELATED:Lawsuit Against Riot Games CEO Alleges Sexual Harassment
On June 15, 2025, Kotaku published an article after months of investigation into theculture of Riot Games, titled “Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games.” The article was massive in impact, with Riot immediately pushing to change its image to “encourage diversity” while fighting legal battles in court. Riot stated that it is continuing discussions with Alienware, but has “removed their branding from our broadcasts.” Riot Games is publically denying all claims of sexual harassment from its CEO, and the CEO has “pledged his full cooperation and support during this process.” The problem, barring however momentarily whether the alleged behavior occurred, is the history of Riot Games and the empirical discernment of the public.
The Kotaku piece is arguably one of the most prolific pieces within the video game industry, acting as a platform for an innumerable number of court cases and follow-up articles. The idea that the behavior could continue after the event would easily frighten away many steadfast supporters of the company. This was also seen during theNEOM play between Saudi Arabia and Riot Games, where the crimes against humanity of Saudi Arabia were so great that it caused Riot Games to back away after facing scathing public criticism. Companies don’t want to be caught in bed with an asset-turned-liability, regardless of how much influence it may hold in the industry.
