Each year, the League Of Legends World Championship gets an anthem from a contemporary star that highlights just how big the world of Esports really has become. The 2023 anthem was NewJeans’ “Gods,” following Lil Nas X’s “Star Walkin’” in 2022. This year, Riot Games has recruited the reconstituted Linkin Park to lend a more hardcore edge to the proceedings with “Heavy Is The Crown.” The track heavily emphasizes Mike Shinoda’s rapped lyrics with a pyrotechnic vocal performance from new member Emily Armstrong near the end.
The new song was, of course, accompanied by an animated music video showcasing some of this year’s competitors, as well as an animated version of the band performing in the same painterly style as the League Of Legends Netflix show, Arcane, which will be making its return to the streamer in three parts this November 9 after nearly three years between seasons. The show also employed the use of popular musical acts in its theme song, “Enemy,” which was performed by Imagine Dragons and Atlanta rapper J.I.D. and charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
The League Of Legends Worlds Finals will take place on November 2, 2024 in London.
You can watch Linkin Park’s video for “Heavy Is The Crown” above.