Riot Games and Ubisoft have teamed up to do their part in solving the toxicity commonly found throughout the gaming industry and in the gaming community.

The two companies have joined hands on a tech partnership called "Zero Harm in Comms" in order to develop a database that gathers in-game data in order to train AI-based moderation tools. These tools will focus on preemptive moderation for first identifying and then mitigating disruptive behavior in gaming chats by taking patterns into account. The goal is to stop toxicity before it happens.

"While we can't change the human condition, we can try to shift the way players interact in our games with the aim of creating a better gaming experience," is what Riot Games explained in their Player Dynamics Update on Aug. 29.

They admitted that competitiveness is an aspect of gaming, but that doesn't absolve players from harmful actions and disruptive behaviors.

Saying that the gaming community communicates in a toxic manner is putting it lightly. There's been no shortage of studies and commentaries on the slurs and disruptive language used casually in gaming.

"Disruptive player behaviors are an issue that we take very seriously but also one that is very difficult to solve," said Yves Jacquier, executive director of Ubisoft's research and development arm La Forge. "Through this technological partnership with Riot Games, we are exploring how to better prevent in-game toxicity as designers of these environments with a direct link to our communities."

Both companies in the past have been accused of toxic work environments and have since then joined the Fair Play Alliance in a joint effort across the gaming industry to make changes. The gaming community has grown rapidly in the past decade, making this an ongoing mission that might, in the words of Riot Games, "never be fully completed." This understanding doesn't stop Riot Games and Ubisoft, as well as the other entities a part of the Fair Play Alliance, from putting in both the work and the finances into developing inclusive and safe communities for gamers.

The head of technology research at Riot Games, Wesley Kerr, added that "disruptive behavior isn't a problem that is unique to games – every company that has an online social platform is working to address this challenging space. That is why we're committed to working with industry partners like Ubisoft who believe in creating safe communities and fostering positive experiences in online spaces."

Over 200 gaming companies have joined the Fair Play Alliance since it was founded in 2017 with continual research, webinars, and forums for both gaming companies and individuals to encourage the growth of healthy communities.

Riot Games Ubisoft AI Gaming