Game developer Riot Games has unveiled the musical artists that will be featured on the official soundtrack for the second season of animated League of Legends TV show Arcane.
The soundtrack, created in collaboration with Virgin Music Group, features songs from artists such as Twenty One Pilots, Stray Kids, Stromae and more.
According to a release, each track is an ‘original composition’ that has been crafted from the animated show, which is set to release in November 2024.
The biggest name on this list is arguably Twenty One Pilots. Formed in 2019, the band is most known for its hit songs ‘Stressed Out’ and ‘Heathens’. This isn’t the first time that a major name in the Western music scene has been involved in Arcane with Imagine Dragons’ ‘Enemy’ created for the show’s season one soundtrack.
Over the years Riot Games has utilised its popular IPs — VALORANT and League of Legends — to heavily invest in the music sector. This has included major collaborations with musical artists for its esports events and even creating its own musical groups by using characters from League of Legends.
Last year, Riot Games also extended its partnership with music recording company BMG. As such, both parties have been collaborating to sign and service songwriters to publishing deals for Riot Games’ music projects.
Stray Kids’ inclusion in the soundtrack also continues Riot Games’ integration into the K-pop industry. In 2018, the developer created virtual girl group K/DA for that year’s League of Legends World Championships. Moreover, VALORANT Champions 2024 and the 2023 League of Legends World Championships have featured anthems from K-pop artists KISS OF LIFE and New Jeans, respectively.
Another popular name included in the list is Stromae, a Belgian singer and rapper who currently has over 12m monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of this writing. His most popular song is the 2009 dance hit, Alors on danse.
Maria Egan, Global Head of Music at Riot Games, commented on the reveal: Arcane’s groundbreaking approach to music inspired an incredibly diverse group of artists from many genres, languages, and cultures who wanted to be part of this new season. We also wanted to represent the global reach of League of Legends by working with artists from all around the world.
“Each song was a unique collaboration between the artists, our showrunners, and Riot’s composers. Music is the heartbeat of the League community and we can’t wait for our fans to experience this epic album to deepen their connection to these powerful stories.”
The full soundtrack includes songs from Freya Ridings, Marcus King, Stefflon Don, Raja Kumari, Fever 333, Woodkid, Ashnikko, d4vd, ZAND, Mako, Djerv, Misha Mansoor, Mick Wingert, Stromae, Pomme, King Princess, Twenty One Pilots, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Stray Kids, Young Miko, Tom Morello and Royal & the Serpent.
