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          Riot's riot: Social media fallout to Tryndamere's haphazard soliloquy

          The crowd at the 2015 League of Legends World Championship finals. Provided by Riot Games
          Aug 22, 2016, 11:16 PM

          Riot Games' reputation took a hit Monday when company founder and CEO Marc "Tryndamere" Merrill responded to a video post on Reddit that featured Team SoloMid owner Andy Dinh criticizing several of the company's decisions on the game and its esports program.

          In the past, Riot Games' communication and open dialogue via its public relations department were reasons for its good standing with the community. This, however, was a miss.

          Dinh, arguably the team owner most credited for spearheading the competitive scene, was notably upset in the video when asked about the timings of patches and the overall makeup of the Riot's esports program. But Merrill's response was less focused on the timing concerns and more pointed toward team's investments and priorities.

          Even with the edited version, Merrill's words remained sharp. More concerning was the apparent disconnect in Merrill's understanding that organizations with top LCS teams benefit more with investments that stem away from League of Legends. As evident to other team owners, like Mike Rufail of Team EnVyUs, the idea of branching out is a popular one:

          Several key players and prominent personalities in the esports industry spoke up and provided their thoughts on the issue. The main critics pointed out that this was a public relations disaster, but that this subject has been brewing between Riot Games and team owners for quite some time. As for the defendants, it's a wait-and-see approach; don't criticize everything when it comes out.

          Some responses were notably pointed.

          Others were more tempered.

          And some offered solutions or alternative takes and responses.

          Of course, everyone is waiting on Reginald's take on everything.