Riot Games’ mission is to become the “most player-focused game company in the world.” Having started and thrived with a “player-first” mentality with their flagship global hit, League of Legends, Riot has since expanded over the past decade to include massive hits like VALORANT and Wild Rift. Last year, Riot hired its first-ever Global Head of Player Community, Erin Wayne. As a lifelong gamer and former content creator, she’s helping Riot shape the art of engagement in bold new directions to deepen the connection with players around the world through community, editorial, influencer, and social strategies. Now with a continued expansion into entertainment with Billboard hits from K/DA and Pentakill, and the recently launched Arcane series on Netflix, how does Riot continue to prioritize community building amidst its growing universe?

In this session, Erin will explore the crucial role community plays in today’s marketing strategies, what goes into building and nurturing fandom, and how Riot “unleashes fandom” by inspiring community engagement, all from the perspective of a gamer-turned-industry professional.