Riot Games has teamed up with Universal to put together a soundtrack for the upcoming League of Legends Worlds finals. Six songs by 14 different Universal artists were recorded in July, and will make their debut at Worlds, which kicks off on September 25 and runs until October 31.
In an interview with China.org, Universal’s managing director for China Joe Fang says, “Music and gaming are activities of no boundaries. When matched well, the possibilities are endless. I am honored to be partnering with Riot Games on this initiative to create songs to win the hearts and minds of the Chinese esports community and celebrate this world-renowned event.”
Meanwhile, one of the songwriters, Tian Mi says, “We could not have achieved this without such a camp in which inspiration arises throughout from musicians of diversified backgrounds, areas of expertise and styles. And it transforms our way of making music from a linear approach to an industrialized one. This camp is a powerhouse of original music.”
Most of the artists involved in the collaboration are Chinese, and all are some of Universal’s top stars in Asia. Matzka, Gong, Chiyo, Moi Yang, Nia Yang, Tian Mi, Xiao Junfeng, Rtruenahmean, JZlee, Daniel Kim, Dru Chen, Laird Yu, Chris Lyon, and Rabitt are the artists involved, with it currently yet unknown whether all artists are involved in all songs or whether their parts are split into smaller groups across the six tracks.
The recording took place between July 24 to 27 in Shanghai’s GUM Studio, near the Pudong Soccer Stadium, which is where the finals themselves will be held. The stadium will soon be the home of football team Shanghai SIPG, but the League of Legends World Championships will be the curtain raiser event for the new stadium.