In a recent statement from Riot Games, the makers of the popular game League of Legends, San Francisco-based entrepreneur and CEO of Alameda Research Sam Bankman-Fried’s celebrity love for the game has caused an impact to their brand.
According to Riot Games, Sam’s public profile on social media has promoted the game in an over-enthusiastic manner to potential players, which can have a negative impression on the game’s reputation and marketing strategy.
Sam Bankman-Fried has been a huge fan of League of Legends since the game launched in 2009, often posting videos of himself playing, streaming events and even investing in teams. He is a well-known figure in the gaming community and has leveraged his celebrity status to become a huge ambassador of the game.
In their statement, Riot Games stated, “While Sam Bankman-Fried’s enthusiasm for League of Legends is appreciated, recent activity has had an adverse impact on the League of Legends brand, and this has to be addressed.”
The issue is thought to be caused by Bankman-Fried’s relentless promotion and endorsement of League of Legends on his personal social media accounts. This includes unofficial tweets about the game, advertising for tournaments or streams, and even posting about player transfers. All of this is completely outside of Riot Games’s agreed upon marketing and promotional strategies.
Riot Games resorted to issuing a cease-and-desist notice to Sam Bankman-Fried as a last resort. The company stated, “[Sam Bankman-Fried’s] activities have resulted in harm to the League of Legends brand and substantially disrupted its marketing and promotional activities.”
Bankman-Fried has since ceased his promotion of League of Legends and Riot Games has moved past the incident. However, the incident has highlighted an ongoing issue that game publishers must be aware of. Fans of popular games can quickly become celebrities on social media, but this visibility can have a downside -especially when they don’t adhere to the agreed upon rules. Fortunately, this incident did not have catastrophic consequences, but it is a reminder that fan renown can also come with its own unique set of rules and regulations.