Ahead of the League of Legends Worlds 2020, which kick off next month, developer Riot Games has partnered with Universal Music Publishing Group to forge the tournament’s tunes. The two companies have hosted an esports-themed songwriting camp packed with UMPG artists and writers, from which a batch of tunes will be used to promote the upcoming tournament.
The partnership was announced this week, and it’s reported that the music camp took place at Shanghai’s GUM Studio late last month, between July 24 and 27. 14 of the music publishing group’s songwriters took part, most based in China: Chiyo, Matzka, Gong, Daniel Kim, Rtruenahmean, Moi Yang, Laird Yu, Tian Mi, JZlee, Dru Chen, Chris Lyon, Nia Yang, Xiao Junfeng, and Rabitt. Six of the tunes crafted during the recennt collaboration will then go on to be produced for use during the LoL Worlds 2020.
Details on exactly what those songs might be haven’t been revealed just yet, but previous years’ Worlds tie-in tunes and performances could potentially provide an idea. The previous two years’ events have seen virtual bands K/DA and True Damage perform hip-hop and dance-pop style tracks, with ‘POP/STARS’ and ‘Giants’, respectively, so perhaps we can look forward to some new goodies in these kinds of veins.
“We set up our Beijing office with this in mind,” UMPG Australia and Asia Pacific president Andrew Jenkins says, “appointing a best-in-class local management team with a shared goal of focusing on developing the rich potential of Chinese songwriters and allowing them to shine. Putting songwriters first, allowing originality and artistry to shine, and providing a natural platform for creative people to collaborate were the key goals for the Shanghai songwriting camp.”
Riot recently announced the 2020 League of Legends Worlds would be taking place at the brand-new Pudong Soccer Stadium in Shanghai, starting on September 25 and concluding over a month later, on October 31.
“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,” songwriter Tian Mi says. “And it transforms our way of making music from a linear approach to an industrialised one. This camp is a powerhouse of original music.”