Mastercard's global sponsorship with Riot Games comes after the esports company recently "came under fire for its treatment of women employees," and the credit card brand will not "hesitate to cut ties" if the company culture does not improve, according to Jake Seiner of the AP. Mastercard Chief Marketing & Chief Communications Officer Raja Rajamannar said that he "spoke frankly about concerns over Riot’s culture during negotiations" with Riot Head of Esports Partnerships Naz Aletaha. She was able to convince Rajamannar that Riot "was making an earnest effort to improve its inclusivity." Video game blog Kotaku published a story in August "detailing a sexist culture at Riot Games that included women being passed over for promotions, unwanted sexual advances and men questioning women about the legitimacy of their video game fandom." Riot later in August apologized to fans and employees and detailed "plans to improve the company’s culture." Mastercard apparently was "encouraged" by what Riot outlined and decided to "move forward with a partnership two years in the making." Riot's deal with Mastercard serves as a "crucial step" for the game developer in a year when competitors like Overwatch and Fortnite have "grabbed a bigger share of the esports pie" (AP, 9/18).
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