League of Legends maker Riot Games has created a combined publishing and esports businesses. 

In a post on its website, the company announced that its current esports president John Needham is helming this outfit, which is designed to make things more "seamless" between its pro-gaming, music and publishing, and its games. 

Riot's TV and film development division is also being divided into two; Christian Linke is helming the animation side of things while Brian Wright is handling live-action. 

“For the past year, we’ve been working to re-orient our organization and structure to serve players in a more aligned way," Riot CEO Dylan Jadeja said. 

"We want every moment a player spends with us to be worth it – and that's best achieved when we authentically blend our games, esports, music and storytelling into really cohesive, immersive adventures for them.

"Today marks another step on that journey. John, Christian, and Brian are all incredible leaders and dedicated Rioters who care deeply about players. I have no doubt that, together with our game development teams, they will dream up even more memorable and defining moments players and Rioters can be proud of."

Needham added: "This new role reflects Riot’s commitment to making it better to be a player. Having worked across teams at Riot, I’ve seen firsthand the power that authentic publishing and world-class esports can have in delivering exceptional player experiences. With both working together in a unified way, we hope to create moments and experiences that will be meaningful to players' lives.”