Highlights
- Movember becomes Riot Games’ official mental health partner for EMEA esports.
- Support will be embedded across LEC, VCT EMEA, and Game Changers, targeting players and staff.
- The partnership formalizes mental health frameworks within professional competition.
Riot Games has entered a multi-year partnership with global charity Movember, appointing it as the official mental health partner for the League of Legends (LoL) EMEA Championship (LEC), the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) EMEA, and Game Changers EMEA for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The collaboration is aimed at embedding mental health and well-being directly into Riot’s EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) esports ecosystem, covering players, team staff, and the wider community.
Under the agreement, Movember will provide training, tools, and structured programs to support mental well-being in high-pressure competitive settings. The partnership will roll out a set of initiatives focused on mental health awareness and response training for teams, player-only roundtables on stress management and coping strategies, and integrated broadcast and on-site messaging designed to reduce stigma and promote open discussion.
“Together, Movember and Riot Games aim to make the gaming environment a healthier environment for all,” the organizations said in a joint press statement.
Inside Riot Games and Movember’s Mental Health Framework for Esports
The partnership has already begun rolling out, with Movember introduced to players and staff at recent league summits.
Riot said the focus is on integrating evidence-informed mental health frameworks directly into league structures, rather than positioning support as a standalone service. Planned initiatives also include workshops and guided discussions addressing performance pressure, burnout, time away from home, and online harassment.
Riot Games
Reacting to the announcement on LinkedIn, Dr. Dylan Poulas, senior research fellow in video games and esports at Movember, said the collaboration is important because it moves “beyond awareness alone” and applies “evidence-informed tools, training, and structured conversations directly within the environments where players and staff operate day to day.”
Founded in 2003, Movember funds mental health projects globally and has identified esports as a priority area due to its unique psychological demands. The partnership reflects a broader industry shift, as leading esports organizations respond to the mental health demands created by high-pressure competition and online toxicity in games like League of Legends and VALORANT by formalizing structured support systems.
