353. How Riot Went From One Game to Five Hits | Mark Sottosanti, Riot Games
Riot shipped one game in ten years, then four in the next two. Mark Sottosanti, CFO of Riot Games, was there for all of it. He joined in 2012 as head of monetization after running a hedge fund, and has been at Riot ever since.We start with how Riot went from League of Legends to a multi-game publisher. That covers the 10th anniversary reveal, why five of its seven launches worked, and what Legends of Runeterra and 2XKO taught the team. Then we get into the business side, discussing regional strategy, Korea’s PC cafes, mobile and China, Valorant on console, and why Valorant still has no loot boxes.Mark also explains the real math behind Arcane and how Season 2 broke even, how Riot uses AI today, where he sees the industry heading, and why Riot has never bought revenue.CHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:09 Why Riot Now02:07 Mark Joins Riot04:01 From One Game to Many08:55 Greenlighting and Results13:54 Global Offices Strategy17:54 Mobile Shift and China22:55 Wild Rift and Console25:24 Monetization Philosophy26:39 Arcane and Transmedia ROI34:54 Industry Outlook and Hiring37:18 Hybrid Work and CFO Advice39:36 Wrap Up and Whats Next