R

Riot Games

Online multiplayer game developer and publisher

Staff Machine Learning Engineer - Unpublished R&D Product

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Los Angeles, CA, USA
In Person
AI & Machine LearningApplied Machine Learning
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 6 years of experience delivering machine learning systems in production, including at least 3 years in applied modeling or machine learning research roles; experience in real-time or interactive environments is ideal.
  • Experience with reinforcement learning, including applying it to practical production problems.
  • Experience in production environments with interacting models, feedback loops, or systems where model behavior has downstream consequences beyond a single prediction.
  • Proficiency with modern machine learning and data science libraries and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and pandas.
  • A B.S. in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
  • Proficiency in Python or similar programming languages.
Responsibilities
  • Work with developers, designers, and data scientists to identify and define improvement opportunities.
  • Refine modeling and feature strategy for techniques such as reinforcement learning.
  • Establish pipeline architecture patterns with central teams and build reusable training and evaluation pipelines adaptable to Riot-wide use cases.
  • Drive the application of machine learning and reinforcement learning systems to improve decision-making and adaptation.
  • Establish research-to-production practices, balancing cutting-edge techniques with production reliability.
  • Establish evaluation practices with data scientists and analytics partners, guide experiment design to measure model impact, and set technical evaluation standards.
  • Define reliability standards with design and engineering.
  • Advance engineering best practices, including code quality, automated testing, and maintainable architecture.
  • Mentor engineers and partner disciplines through documentation, reviews, and technical design guidance.
  • Identify technical risks and bottlenecks and propose pragmatic solutions to keep projects moving forward.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with multi-agent reinforcement learning.
  • Experience in developer tooling.
  • Experience implementing framework-level user interface systems.
  • Experience in infrastructure and MLOps, such as machine learning cloud services, containers, and model telemetry.
  • Experience working in a AAA game engine such as Unity or Unreal.
  • Proficiency in C++.

About the company

Riot Games develops and publishes online multiplayer video games, with League of Legends as its flagship title. The game is free-to-play and supported by in-game purchases like cosmetic items and skins, while competitive play drives engagement through its esports ecosystem. Riot Games also runs Riot Forge, a publishing arm that partners with third-party developers to create new games within the League of Legends universe. The company earns revenue from cosmetic microtransactions, esports events, sponsorships, and merchandise. What sets Riot Games apart is its emphasis on building a large, global community around its titles and expanding its universe through collaborations with external developers. The goal is to create enduring, connected gaming experiences that sustain a vibrant community and a growing esports ecosystem around its flagship franchises.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

$15M

Headquarters

Los Angeles, California

Founded

2006

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Riftbound: Radiance launches October 23, 2026, expanding Riot beyond digital game revenue.
  • HEARTSTEEL Live My Life skins arrive October 7, 2026, monetizing music fandom.
  • Valorant Champions Shanghai 2026 and Balenciaga deepen premium sponsorship demand around Riot's esports.

What critics are saying

  • Riot laid off about 80 2XKO staff on February 9, 2026, then ended support.
  • Riot cut 12 publishing jobs on February 26, 2026, signaling further restructuring.
  • League of Legends still anchors Riot; any franchise slide undermines every other bet.

What makes Riot Games unique

  • Riot owns League of Legends, VALORANT, and Riftbound, turning champions into a flywheel.
  • Its virtual music brands, HEARTSTEEL and K/DA, sell skins, songs, and merchandise.
  • Riot builds competitive ecosystems, not standalone games, with Worlds, Champions, and organized play.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

  • Healthcare
  • Family Care
  • Open Paid Time Off
  • Retirement
  • Play Fund
  • Donation Matching

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

11%

1 year growth

18%

2 year growth

18%
Inven Global
Oct 23rd, 2026
LoL-Based TCG Riftbound releases three limited editions featuring K/DA, Worlds, and T1.

LoL-Based TCG Riftbound releases three limited editions featuring K/DA, Worlds, and T1. Oct 22, 2026 Riot Games will release three limited-edition products for its physical trading card game (TCG) Riftbound on the 29th. The lineup consists of the K/DA Couture Collection, the 2026 World Championship Set, and the T1 2025 Worlds Champion Player Bundle. Riftbound is a game developed and published by Riot Games based on the League of Legends (LoL) universe. These new products are themed around virtual artist K/DA, the 2026 LoL World Championship, and 2025 LoL World Championship winner T1, respectively. Produced in Korean, the T1 2025 Worlds Champion Player Bundle is a collaboration product with T1, who achieved a historic three consecutive titles at the 2025 LoL World Championship. It contains five 2025 World Champion T1 Champion cards, along with one sleeve pack, one deck box, one binder, and one metal die. The design of the K/DA Couture Collection was handled by Fortiche Productions, the studio responsible for directing and producing the LoL IP-based animated series Arcane. It reflects the visuals of K/DA, who returned in October with their new track "FIRESTARTER." The collection includes four English collectible Legend cards and one collectible Battlefield card. It features one K/DA special edition playmat, one deck box, and one card sleeve pack, along with four K/DA special edition D12 metal dice and one FIRESTARTER KiT keychain. The 2026 World Championship Set (Riftbound x Worlds 2026 Edition) was produced in English to celebrate the collaboration between Riftbound and the 2026 LoL World Championship. It contains three Battlefield promo cards featuring host cities Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York, and one "The Unforgiven" (Yasuo) Legend promo card. One pack of foil card sleeves and one deck box are also included. Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by its editorial team before publication. [Read Original]

Hotspawn
Oct 22nd, 2026
K/DA headlines Worlds 2026 Opening Ceremony with single "FIRESTARTER"

K/DA headlines Worlds 2026 Opening Ceremony with single "FIRESTARTER" Davide "Dovi" Xu * | Oct 22, 2026 K/DA asked if they had your attention. Now the group has answered with its new single "FIRESTARTER", a four-track EP, and will perform at the Worlds 2026 Opening Ceremony. The virtual group, which consists of returning members MIYEON and SOYEON from i-dle and the new artists Sophie Powers (Evelynn) and Mimi Webb (Kai'Sa), will be joining True Damage for the opening ceremony of the Worlds 2026 Finals on November 14 at the Barclays Center. The music video of the single was produced by Fortiche Production, who were previously in charge of Arcane and the original K/DA breakout hit, POP/STARS. K/DA returns with a four-song EP. The new single "FIRESTARTER" is already going viral, but three more songs are expected to be released on October 30: "WATCH ME", "NEVER GOING BACK", and "GIRLS". The songs were made in collaboration with DJ Sona, returning for the first time since 2015 and reimagined as a virtual DJ and producer. Riot also confirmed it will launch pre-orders for a collection of EP physical products, including limited-edition CD variants and vinyl, which can be purchased on the dedicated Riot Music Store. "With the FIRESTARTER EP, we wanted to respect what made people fall in love with K/DA while giving Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa the space to evolve as artists after all this time," said Maria Egan, Global Head of Music & Events at Riot Games. "This is K/DA stepping confidently into their next chapter, with a new look, attitude and a diverse group of songs to showcase their individual journeys. We're excited for players and fans to experience everything that comes with this creative evolution." Will K/DA get new skins in League of Legends? At the current time of writing, Riot Games has not confirmed a new K/DA skin collection. That being said, it's likely that the game devs might give Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa new looks with the EP release, just like it happened on the two previous occasions (2018 and 2020). In addition, given K/DA's popularity and the League of Legends seasonal theme around music, the skin collection would be expected to be part of the campaign. That said, no potential release date has been confirmed. Article tags. No tournaments found. Davide "Dovi" Xu. League of Legends content lead. If there's one thing Davide knows better than his morning coffee, it's League of Legends. He has spent more than 10 years playing the game. When he's not writing, he's probably playing padel or pretending to work while actually watching esports tournaments. By Davide "Dovi" Xu / 14 hours ago LOS Duduhh: "Peyz, to me, is the best right now." The youngest player at Worlds 2026. At the age of 18, LOS ADC Wallyson Francisco...

IGN
Oct 19th, 2026
League of Legends virtual k-pop group K/DA reemerge after 6 years of silence with new single and music video from the makers of Arcane.

League of Legends virtual k-pop group K/DA reemerge after 6 years of silence with new single and music video from the makers of Arcane. Hot. After six years of silence, Riot Games' League of Legends-themed virtual K-pop girl group, K/DA, has returned with Firestarter, a comeback single created by the animation studio behind Arcane. The single leads K/DA's new EP, set to come out on October 21, which would mark the group's second major release since All Out in 2020. Returning to the lineup are MIYEON and SOYEON of i-dle, alongside Sophie Powers and Mimi Webb who bring new voices to K/DA's latest era. The group has previously featured artists including Madison Beer and Jaira Burns, while Seraphine, who joined the virtual girl group for More in 2020 and was voiced by Lexie Liu, is notably absent from the new release. Behind the track are producers Kill Dave and Sebastien Najand, the composer and producer often regarded as one of the architects of K/DA's sound, having worked on the group's music since its inception. Behind Firestarter's music video is Fortiche, the French animation studio whose long-standing partnership with Riot dates back to the original Pop/Stars video in 2018. Since then, the two companies have built a creative partnership that extends well beyond music videos, most notably with Arcane, the acclaimed animated series set in the League of Legends universe. With Fortiche involved, the quality of the animation was never really in doubt - and the studio delivers once again. Originally scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 20, Firestarter arrived as a surprise drop one day earlier, reportedly following leaks teasing the group's return. The result is a spark that has already turned into a wildfire, with the music video surpassing 4.3 million views on YouTube alone in just nine hours. It's been a particularly busy year for Riot Games' musical universe with three new songs released in less than a month. Heartsteel returned with Live My Life, True Damage made a comeback with Know My Name, marking a milestone for Riot's virtual bands as the first to deliver a League of Legends Worlds anthem. Add a collaboration with Pentakill on the orchestral Worlds theme, and K/DA were the last of Riot's major virtual groups yet to re-enter the spotlight. Teasers released last week made it clear that the wait was almost over, and now the final piece of the musical puzzle is back in place. A match made in animation Heaven. Fortiche's signature hybrid approach, blending 3D CGI with hand-painted textures and hand-drawn 2D elements, gives Firestarter a visual identity that feels both real and ideal. The meticulous, almost obsessive details and hidden references are exactly what fans have come to expect from the studio. League players will easily recognize in-game abilities woven into the choreography - like Ahri's charm or ult - yet these nods never feel forced or overwhelming to viewers unfamiliar with the game. A music video this saturated with color could easily become visually exhausting, but Fortiche knows when to pull back. Brief, single-frame visual disruptions break up the dominant pink and orange palette, while infrared-inspired sections make the characters appear to radiate heat. Reflections shimmer in the oil-slick ground beneath the characters, and particles of light seem to bring the heat straight through the screen. Every frame feels planned, building toward a visual spectacle that reflects years of creative collaboration. Catchy beats, fashion, and ballroom choreography. Musically, Firestarter knows exactly how to get under your skin. Built around a catchy rhythm and punchy rap sections, the track constantly plays with contrasts, breaking up its harder-hitting moments with melodic, almost ethereal, pre-choruses that make the chorus hit all the harder when it finally explodes. It is a satisfying build-up that keeps the song moving, balancing fiery attitude with melody and making the hook all the more contagious. Beyond the animation, great visual composition extends to costumes and choreography. Every look reinforces the members' personalities, each outfit worthy of high-fashion magazine covers - and it would hardly be surprising to see K/DA gracing those pages again. The choreography, meanwhile, seems inspired by drag ballroom culture, combining sharp poses, commanding gestures and theatrical flair into something utterly mesmerizing. It is bold, precise and unapologetically larger than life, the kind of performance that demands your attention even when everything else is already filling your senses. With Firestarter, K/DA reminds us why they became one of the most recognisable virtual acts in pop culture. Riot Games and Fortiche have reunited to deliver a music video packed with visual ambition, while the track itself strikes a balance between fan service and mainstream appeal. Get the tools to beat your game. IGN Plus members get full access to all of IGN's maps and wikis, get to browse IGN ad free, and more. Try it today for as low at $2.49 a month.

GamesBeat
Oct 19th, 2026
Louis Vuitton and Riot Games publish new travel book, Tempo Point, starring K/DA's members.

Louis Vuitton and Riot Games publish new travel book, Tempo Point, starring K/DA's members. * by Jolie Feld * October 19, 2026 * 3 min Join independent journalists and industry decision-makers at GamesBeat NEXT, returning to San Francisco November 2-3. The event brings together 500 executives, founders, investors and tech leaders shaping the $200 billion interactive economy for candid discussions on gaming, entertainment, technology and AI, plus executive networking and opportunities to build partnerships and close major deals. K/DA just launched its very own Louis Vuitton travel book. Riot Games and the luxury house published Tempo Point Friday, imagining 24 hours in the lives of the virtual pop group's four members. Carol Reed, Shahar Sorek & Bryce Showalter: Proving the ROI of Games | Full GB Insider Conversation Tempo Point is the latest addition to Louis Vuitton's Travel Book collection and the third Riot-Louis Vuitton collaboration since 2019, according to the announcement. The standard edition costs $68, and a collector's edition limited to 400 copies costs $245. Tempo Point imagines 24 hours in the individual lives of K/DA members Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai'Sa. The book will feature Ahri and Evelynn as vocalists, Akali as a rapper, and Kai'Sa as a vocalist, the lead dancer, and a choreographer. According to the press release from Riot and Louis Vuitton, the book is trilingual, containing English, French, and Chinese. Both main editions of Tempo Point are being sold as cloth-bound hardcover books, with six-color printing and a silk-screened cover. The standard edition of Tempo Point is being priced at $68. Copies of the book are available for purchase on Louis Vuitton's website, as well as in its stores and in select bookstores around the globe. The book will also be sold at the League of Legends Worlds 2026 Fan Fest in New York. The Collector's Large-Format edition of the book will be limited to only 400 copies and, can be purchased for $245. This special edition is also sold online, in stores and in select bookstores. Riot and Louis Vuitton have also released a limited edition of 30 signed and numbered copies, complete with an exclusive vinyl record. This limited edition of the book will be sold only in select Louis Vuitton stores. It's leather-bound in a slipcase, and the price is available to the public only on request. Tempo Point will be joining Louis Vuitton's larger collection of travel books, designed by a diverse array of artists from around the globe. A number of artists are named as illustrators that worked on this specific book: Ayşe Aktaş and Florent Auguy (courtesy of Fortiche Production), Jason Chan, Aliya Chen, Edgar Flores, Gintas Galvanauskas, Artyom Maksimishin (courtesy of Goodname Studio), Alisha Gao, Greg Ghielmetti, HC Lemon (courtesy of Lemon Art Studio), ilLUMI, Kaye Kang, Mindy Kang, Minji Kim, Alsie Lau, Shawn Lee, Jacki Li, MengXuan Li, David Merritt, Liu Mingchao (courtesy of Grafit Studio), Airi Pan, Valentina Remenar, Mintautas Šukys, Maryia Tarasenka and Vladislav Varlamov (courtesy of Grafit Studio), Jennifer Wuestling, Mo Yan, Min Yum. The center characters of Tempo Point are the members of K/DA, a virtual pop supergroup within League of Legends. The group's name is a reference to the game's shorthand for kills, deaths, and assists. The group first debuted in 2018 with the song "POP/STARS" and released the "ALL OUT" EP shortly after. According to Riot, the group has now garnered over 2.7 billion global streams and 1.8 billion video views, and "POP/STARS" has gone RIAA platinum. Tempo Point isn't the first project that Louis Vuitton and Riot have collaborated on. The brands first formed a partnership and worked together in 2019. Louis Vuitton served as the official Summoner's Cup Trophy Trunk provider for the League of Legends World Championship. Nicolas Ghesquière, Louis Vuitton's artistic director of women's collections, designed in-game skins for the champions of the cup, Qiyana and Senna. Following this, Louis Vuitton released a capsule collection of more than 40 products, including apparel, bags and accessories. In 2020, Louis Vuitton also dressed K/DA and Seraphine for pre-concert promotions. Seraphine, another League of Legends character, is featured on K/DA's single "MORE." Lexie Liu, the singer who voiced Seraphine on the song, wore Louis Vuitton when she performed with K/DA at the Worlds Opening Ceremony. League of Legends is one of the most-played PC games in the world, according to Riot. Since the game's launch in 2009, Riot has expanded the game's IP across art-forms and merchandise, including music, comic books, board games and the animated series Arcane. Tempo Point is available now on louisvuitton.com and at the stores and events above.

AltChar
Oct 19th, 2026
K/DA 2026 Firestarter skins give Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai'Sa a fiery new look.

K/DA 2026 Firestarter skins give Ahri, Akali, Evelynn and Kai'Sa a fiery new look. Published: 09:50, 19 October 2026 Screengrab by AltChar Key points from the article. * Each skin has distinct outfit details: Ahri in cropped top with fox ear accessories, Akali with pink visor and baggy pants, Evelynn in fitted red dress, and Kai'Sa in red dress with metallic gloves and upgraded cannons * Skins are scheduled to release November 4th, 2026 * Pricing has not been announced yet, with possible bundles and individual purchase options to be revealed Riot revealed K/DA Firestarter skins for Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa featuring red, black, and silver color schemes with metallic elements League of Legends' K/DA Firestarter skins give Ahri, Akali, Evelynn, and Kai'Sa bold new designs. Here's what AltChar know about their price and release date.