Cover-Credits:
After a week of celebrations after winning Valorant Champions 2023, Evil Geniuses finds itself once again in the news. But this time it is because of a pivotal change in its organizational structure. On 31st August, Evil Geniuses CEO Nicole LaPointe Jameson announced that she is stepping down from her position. In a lengthy statement posted on social media handles of Evil Geniuses, Jameson recollected her four-and-a-half year stint as the CEO of Evil Geniuses and also announced EG's interim CEO Chris De Appolonio (previously EG's chief innovation officer), who Jameson referred to as her "long-time right-hand, dear friend, and the leader" she trusts most.
Evil Geniuses CEO releases statement
In her statement, Nicole LaPointe Jameson stated that it has been an honor to act as EG's CEO since 2019 and added that it was also a humbling 4.5 years. "We've had some failures, learned a TON, and celebrated many successes and joys," she further said.
She also noted that Evil Geniuses winning the Valorant Champions 2023 through "equity of merit, inclusivity of infrastructure, and going against the grain with scrappy believers" perfectly encapsulated what the organization stands for.
Talking about the organization's future, Jameson vouched that EG shall continue to be a beacon of light towards a more diverse and equitable future in gaming. She also said her thanks to everyone that supported her in this journey.
In a conversation with DigiDay, Nicole LaPointe Jameson said, "I have equity in EG, so I’ll always have some peripheral relationship. But trying to make sure everyone’s stable, and that I’m not a blocker to anyone feeling empowered to go into the next stage of EG, is my priority.”
Evil Geniuses has certainly had a period of ups and downs during LaPointe Jameson's time at the helm of the organization. It won the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) 2022 Spring Split and just last week, the Valorant team lifted the championship trophy.
Notably, the organization was criticized on social media in late 2022 after allegations surfaced regarding how its young League of Legend star Kyle "Danny" Sakamaki was treated.
While Evil Geniuses denied the allegations, the situation warranted an official investigation by Riot Games in March 2023. According to a Dexerto report, an LCS spokesperson revealed that “in late 2022, the LCS enlisted a third-party law firm to investigate the matter, which is ongoing.”
Since Riot Games does not reportedly comment on ongoing investigations, there are no further updates on this.
However, talking to DigiDay, LaPointe Jameson clarified that neither she or EG received actual complaints from Danny or his family and also recollected Danny's post on Twitter about how he did not feel mistreated. She added, "So I know that’s been a divide; I know people want an apology. But, as of now, I have nothing to apologize for.”
Jameson reportedly denied that the Danny controversy had anything to do with her departure from Evil Geniuses.
