John Needham

John Needham is an American manager, publisher, and esports president at Riot Games. He began his career in 1992 as a senior auditor at Arthur Andersen. From 1996 to 1999, he held the position of Director of Business Development at Sony Pictures Entertainment, then moved to Telemundo as Vice President of Finance. From 2001 to 2008, he worked at Sony Online Entertainment, holding the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations.

From 2008 to 2011, Needham was the CEO of Cryptic Studios, and then led Gazillion Entertainment. In 2013, he joined Microsoft, where he led Lionhead Studios and headed the European publishing division of Xbox. From 2015 to 2016, he served as a partner and General Manager of Microsoft's American studios. He later provided consulting services to Linden Lab.

In June 2017, Needham joined Riot Games as Managing Director for Europe. In 2018, his responsibilities expanded to North America, and in 2019, he took over the global esports division of League of Legends. From October 2021 to August 2024, he held the position of President of Riot Games' esports division. In August 2024, he was appointed President of Publishing and Esports for the entire company. Under his leadership, Riot Games' esports broadcasts have received several Emmy awards, and the company itself has strengthened its position as a leader in competitive gaming.