Game publisher Riot Games has extended and expanded its existing partnership with music recording company BMG.
As a result of the expansion, both parties will continue collaborating to sign and service songwriters to publishing deals for Riot Games’ music projects. Moreover, the new deal aims to leverage opportunities across Riot Games’ music initiatives.
Riot Games and BMG have collaborated since 2020. Notably, in 2021 the music company’s songs were used during LCS broadcasts. In addition, Riot Games recently collaborated with songwriter SAINt JHN to co-write Paranoia, a song released by HEARTSTEEL, League of Legends’ latest virtual music group.
Alongside songwriting projects, the two parties hosted the BMG SoundLab, a workshop for songwriters focused on creating music around Riot Games’ upcoming projects.
According to a release, BMG has served as Riot Games’ music publisher for a catalogue of nearly 1000 custom music titles centred around its games (League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics and VALORANT). BMG noted this includes the OST for Arcane, Riot’s esports anthems and its virtual artists.
Over the last few years, Riot Games has managed to successfully integrate music into its esports offerings. As part of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, HEARTSTEEL will be performing during the opening ceremony before the final takes place on November 19th. Moreover, the company has collaborated with known artists such as LiL Nas X, Imagine Dragons and New Jeans to bolster its esports events.
In recent months, Riot Games has continued to expand existing partnerships across its other departments. In November 2023, the company expanded its deal with production and media services provider Gravity Media to open a new remote broadcast centre in Seattle, Washington.
Maria Egan, Global Head of Music and Events at Riot Games, spoke on the expansion: “We are thrilled to extend this partnership with BMG. They saw the potential of the Riot ecosystem many years ago and deeply understand our culture.
“Their creative partnership and best-in-class global team will be a superpower for us as we take Riot’s music initiatives, across games, esports, and entertainment to the next level.”
