Hoby Darling

Seth "Hoby" Darling is an American business executive and former lawyer currently serving as the president of video game developer Riot Games. He has served in corporate roles within apparel, sports, and technology companies.

Early life and education Darling was raised in Cashmere, Washington, and attended Cashmere High School. Growing up, he aspired to be a high school teacher and football coach. He attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, graduating in 1997 with a BA degree in history. He then attended law school at the Pritzker School of Law at Northwestern University, graduating with a JD. Darling also graduated from the Berkeley–Columbia Executive MBA program in 2008, resulting in an MBA degree from both the Haas School of Business and Columbia Business School. He has returned to the Western Washington University campus to speak with students about his career.

Career As a lawyer, Darling worked for the Latham & Watkins law firm from their office in Orange County, California. He took over their account with apparel brand Volcom in 2004, and advised the company during its initial public offering process. Darling was offered a job by Volcom's chairman in 2005, becoming their general counsel and vice president of strategic development.

Darling began working for Logitech in 2017, where he served as an executive in the esports division. As of 2020, he was serving on the boards of directors for Skullcandy and Ragnar Relays. In 2025, it was announced that Darling would be moving on from Logitech to serve as the president of Riot Games, the Tencent-owned developer of Valorant and League of Legends.

Personal life In his personal life, Darling is also a CrossFit instructor and competes in CrossFit competitions. While working for Skullcandy in Park City, Utah, he attended CrossFit sessions four days a week. He also consumes a flexible paleo diet. In 2025, he and his wife had daughters aged fifteen and eighteen.