K-pop act NewJeans to headline League of Legends Worlds 2023

Riot Video games introduced that Okay-pop group NewJeans will carry out the 2023 League of Legends World Championship anthem, “GODS.” The match is ready to kick off with play-ins on October 10 in Seoul, South Korea. The anthem will launch on October 3 at 10pm PT / October 4 at 2pm KST.

NewJeans collabs with Riot Video games

“The Worlds Anthem is the rallying cry for our neighborhood yearly, and we’re so excited to companion with NewJeans to ship this unimaginable second,” mentioned Carrie Dunn, international head of inventive, esports at Riot Video games. “Between Worlds happening in Korea and NewJeans’ meteoric rise, this partnership felt fated as a real cultural celebration. ‘GODS’ juxtaposes epic and intense manufacturing components with NewJeans’ stunning and highly effective vocals – conveying each the grind and the glory that awaits our gamers at Worlds.”

Riot Video games principal composer Sebastien Najand and Alex Seaver of Mako wrote “GODS.” Seaver has an extended historical past working with Riot Video games. His co-writing credit embrace “Legends Never Die,” “RISE,” “Awaken,” and a number of songs on Netflix’s Arcane soundtrack.

NewJeans is a comparatively new Okay-pop lady group, debuting in July 2022. The group’s identify is a double-entendre alluding to a recent tackle a timeless sound and picture. The quintet holds the Guinness World Report for the Okay-pop act to succeed in 1 billion streams on Spotify within the shortest period of time since debut. Riot tapping the group for its Worlds anthem (and opening ceremony) shall be a serious draw for stay audiences in Seoul.

“GODS” additionally marks the tenth anniversary of League of Legends Worlds anthems. NewJeans will be a part of high artists like Think about Dragons, Zedd and Lil Nas X who collaborated with Riot for its 9 earlier anthems. This collaboration would be the newest instance of Riot’s investments into the intersection of music, video games and fandom.

Esports storytelling

Like some previous anthems, the music video for “GODS” will inform the story of League of Legends’ professional gamers. This 12 months, the video will observe the story of Korean professional participant Kim “Deft” Hyuk-kyu. Deft’s professional profession started a decade in the past. Final 12 months, the bot laner led DRX to victory at Worlds 2022. Notably, Deft overcame his longtime rival, former highschool classmate, and esports legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok of T1 Esports.

“We don’t need to spoil an excessive amount of of the music video, however anticipate to see acquainted faces and unforgettable moments reimagined as we observe Deft’s story from its starting in 2013 to his victorious World Championship final 12 months,” Dunn mentioned. “Allies turning into adversaries is a narrative all athletes can relate to, and we predict ‘GODS’ will set the stage for what’s certain to be an unimaginable Worlds.”

Final 12 months, Deft’s underdog victory in an epic five-game grand finals result in new viewership data in response to Esports Charts. Nevertheless, San Francisco is an inconvenient time zone for European and Asian viewers to observe stay, which saved the general occasion from reaching its full potential.

Worlds 2023 might see each Deft (now on Dplus) dealing with off once more towards Faker and T1 — if Faker’s wrist holds up. Holding the occasion in Korea will make League of Legends Worlds 2023 extra accessible for key areas — significantly native followers invested in Deft and Faker’s rivalry.