League of Legends dev opening NY office

Riot Games has signed a five-year lease for a building in Manhattan

GamesIndustry International has learned that Riot Games, developer behind the free-to-play giant League of Legends, has signed a new lease agreement to rent out the entire second floor of a building at 49 West 23rd Street in Manhattan. The real estate transaction listed in the New York Times indicates that Riot has committed to a five-year lease with an annual rent of close to $240,000.

Requests for comment have gone unanswered at this time, so it’s currently unclear if the New York office will be used for game development or if it’s dedicated to marketing and business activities. Riot is headquartered in Santa Monica, has another US office in St. Louis, and also has offices across the globe, including Dublin, Seoul, Sao Paulo, Sydney, Moscow, and Istanbul.

Riot’s League of Legends has been enormously successful in pushing the free-to-play market and it’s also shined a spotlight on the rise of eSports. The US State Department recently recognized League of Legends players as pro-athletes. Riot did run into a bit of trouble earlier this week, however, when the company admitted that its servers were hacked, leading to a security breach of North American accounts tied to 120,000 transactions.

 

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NY attorney general purges another 2,100 sex offenders from online gaming

Eric Schneiderman secures participation of NCsoft, Gaia Online, THQ and Funcom in “Operation Game Over”

The office of New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has announced an expansion of its “Operation Game Over” initiative today, with gaming companies such as THQ, Gaia Online, NCsoft and Funcom helping to further cleanse online environments from the threat of sexual predators. Over 2,100 additional accounts of registered sex offenders were purged from online gaming platforms recently, which follows an earlier sweep that helped purge more than 3,500 accounts of registered sex offenders with the participation of Microsoft, Apple, Blizzard Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Disney Interactive Media Group, Warner Bros and Sony.

The way it works in New York is that under the state’s Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) law, convicted sex offenders must register all of their e-mail addresses, screen names, and other Internet identifiers. That information can then be provided to websites and online game providers so they can remove the potential predators. Schneiderman’s office noted that Operation: Game Over is the first time e-STOP has been applied to online gaming platforms.

“The Internet is the crime scene of the 21st century, and we must ensure that online video game platforms do not become a digital playground for dangerous predators. That means doing everything possible to block sex offenders from using gaming systems as a vehicle to prey on underage victims,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “I applaud the online gaming companies that have purged registered sex offenders from their networks in time for the holiday season. Together, we are making the online community a safer place for the children of New York.”

Unfortunately, online gaming platforms have given sexual predators a way to interact with children and teens and lure them into meeting up in the real world. Last year, for example, a 19-year-old man in Monroe County, NY was indicted on sexual abuse charges after allegedly meeting a 12-year-old boy through Xbox Live. He slowly gained the boy’s trust over several months before inviting him to his house where the abuse took place, police said.

Schneiderman said that parents need to keep a closer eye on their children’s gaming habits. They should purchase age appropriate games, use the game console’s parental control options, keep console usage out in the open (rather than in a basement or closed bedroom) and talk to their kids about “how to protect identifying information and to avoid and report conversations that make them uncomfortable.”

 

Reggie Surprises The Nintendo Faithful in NYC

 

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime did the Jimmy Fallon show on Friday, got some dinner and then… he took a stroll to the Nintendo World Store. He found more than 50 people camped out to pick up the Wii U at midnight Saturday night. I tagged along to see what happened.

I walked the line with the Nintendo boss and GTTV’s Geoff Keighley. Reggie bantered with fans, took requests and helped us hunt for elusive Triforce Johnson, the supposed lead person on line to pick up a Wii U. (He wasn’t there!)

Sorry for the shaky cam, but this was done on the fly.

Nintendo To Celebrate The U.S. Launch Of Wii U With Midnight Gathering At Nintendo World (Details)

My Nintendo News

Consumers will have the chance to be among the first in the world to purchase the Wii U console when the clock strikes midnight on Nov. 18 at Nintendo World in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza. Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime will be on hand to count down the launch and sell a new Wii U to the first consumer in line.

Fans waiting in line will get premium items (while supplies last) during the event. Note that supplies are limited, and systems will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Nintendo is also selling New York-themed T-shirts with Mario’s image at the event. All proceeds from sales of the shirts will be donated to the American Red Cross in support of relief efforts from the effects of Hurricane Sandy.

• Scores of fans lined up in front of Nintendo World for a chance to be among the first people…

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