In court papers supplied to PCGamesN, the League of Legends publisher says: “The DFEH’s claim that the ‘maximum exposure in back pay owed to female employees alone exceeds $400m’ is outrageous, reckless, and without any basis in fact or law. Indeed, there are numerous methodological deficiencies in how the DFEH reaches this number, each of which makes the ultimate conclusion wholly unsound.” Elsewhere in the documents, Riot says the DFEH’s claim “is completely lacking in factual or legal support and is instead rife with inflammatory misstatements and insinuations”.

Riot also accuses the DFEH of putting publicity above a fair analysis of the amount owed to the women at the heart of this legal battle: “The DFEH’s $400m number, although dramatic, is based on a flawed approach to data that is grossly distorted and misleading. As the agency charged with understanding pay equity issues, the DFEH knows this. Thus, it appears that the DFEH’s intent is not to provide a meaningful analysis of the alleged pay disparities here, but to proffer the most outlandish figure possible, in order to garner sensational headlines and pressure Riot in the public.” In a separate response, Riot called the DFEH’s claims “a clickbait number designed to get attention”.